


Finding Home

by arc852



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: AU, Abuse, Borrowers - Freeform, Child Abuse, GT, Gen, Giant/Tiny, Manipulation, Sanders Sides - Freeform, kid!virgil, tiny!virgil
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-12
Updated: 2019-01-22
Packaged: 2019-03-17 05:45:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 55
Words: 24,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13652652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arc852/pseuds/arc852
Summary: A mini series featuring a tiny kid Virgil and his hardships before (and after) finding his true home.





	1. Waiting

They would be back. Any minute now.

Virgil sat in the folds of the old cloth his parents had found and made into his bed. He was bundled up tight, for the night was cold. A lot colder than usual, a sure sign that winter was starting.

His parents had gone on a small journey to meet up with some friends. It was only a few houses over, but for a borrower that distance was quite the trek. He had wanted to go with them, but they had said it was too much for a five year old such as himself. So they left him with two weeks worth of food and promises of being back by the time it was gone.

He ran out of food yesterday.

But Virgil knew the two weeks were just an estimate. The trek to the other house was far and maybe his parents had to prolong the journey because of the cold. There was a lot of reasons why they were a little late. No need for him to worry, his parents promised after all.

He just wished they would be back soon, to help him get rid of this uncomfortable feeling in his stomach.


	2. Found

He had been found.

He was terrified as the human came closer and wrapped his hand around his impossibly small frame. He was brought in front of the human’s eyes. One brown, and the other a color Virgil had never seen for an eye before, yellow. The human looked the eight year old up and down and Virgil shook at the gaze.

“Poor thing, do you even eat?” Virgil wasn’t sure he was supposed to answer or not, but shook his head anyway. He did eat, but it was hard to come across food sometimes. The human’s free hand moved towards him and Virgil braced himself for pain.

Instead, he felt a gentle, repeating motion on the top of his head.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you.” Virgil looked up, eyes scared, but hopeful.

“R-Really?” The human put on his sweetest smile.

“Of course, you’re a person after all. And I wouldn’t even think about harming a child.” The human made a show of letting Virgil sit in his open palm. “How about you stay with me? I’ll take good care of you, feed you…You won’t have to hide anymore.” Virgil looked up at the human with hopeful eyes. It sounded so nice.

“O-Okay.” The human smiled.

“Good, now let’s go to your new home, shall we?” Virgil nodded and the human started to walk. The seed of trust had been planted and Virgil was too focused on their surroundings to see the cruel smirk upon the human’s lips.

Oh, the human thought, this was going to be so much fun.


	3. Not Okay

Virgil was not okay.

The human had lied to him, had lured him into a fall sense of security. Had played off his helplessness and need for somebody.

It had only been a week.

The first day was everything the human had promised. He was fed, washed, and held like he meant something. He was told that he mattered.

He woke up the next day in the dark. The human had locked him in a drawer while he had been asleep and it made Virgil’s skin crawl just thinking about how he had been moved without knowing. Virgil was trapped for a better part of the day and when the human came back, he was faced with the truth.

The human had lied to him. He was told he didn’t matter. He was told he wasn’t a person. He was told he was nothing more than a possession, a pet. And that he wasn’t anyone else’s but his.

A week later and he was in the cage he had been told to call home. Bruises littered his body, on every part of him. In his nine years of life, he had never been in so much pain.

He didn’t even know the human’s name. He refused to give it. Instead he was either to call him Sir or Master. But Virgil had another name in mind.

Deceit.


	4. Sorry

There were days where Deceit would say he was sorry.

He would be gentle with him. Clean his wounds. He would be fed well, instead of the few scraps like normal. And all the while Deceit would tell him how sorry he was. How it would never happen again. How he had changed and Virgil no longer had to fear him.

The next day, just like his second day there, he would always find himself back in the drawer. Back to the cage and back to the usual hurt.

But these types of days would happen at random and Deceit was such a good liar…

Virgil hated to admit that he fell for it every time.


	5. Birthday

Today was Virgil’s birthday.

He was now nine years old.

Before is parents…disappeared, he remembers his birthday being filled with special treats. Ones his parents would go and borrow just for him. They would then spend the day with him. Focused all on him and playing whatever game his little mind could make up. It had been fun.

His birthdays after that had been…nonexistent. He was barely able to borrow enough to get by, let alone get himself special treats. He was also alone, which put quite the damper on the mood. The only reason he even acknowledged his birthday was to keep track of how old he was. Nothing more. It was as special of a day as any other.

This year, for his ninth birthday, he was not alone.

Though the company was less than ideal.

Virgil had now been with Deceit for several months and everyday things just got worse. Even when it seemed like it would get better, it never did. Deceit lied. Virgil had to keep reminding himself of that.

But it was so hard to remember, when one of the ‘special days’ happened to fall on Virgil’s birthday.

“Oh, Virgil. I am so sorry.” He would say. Every time.

“It won’t happen again, I promise. I never really meant to hurt you.” He would continue, while gently petting the top of his head.

“Forgive me?” And Virgil, stupid, stupid Virgil would. Every single time. And he hated himself for that.

Things went much the same as any other time, but somewhere along the line, Virgil couldn’t help but reveal that it was his birthday.

He wished he never did.

A cruel smile took its place upon Deceit’s lips.

“Oh?”

That birthday had not been a good one.

And after that, the ‘special days’ stopped.

Virgil couldn’t help but be glad for that.


	6. Escape

Somehow, someway, Virgil had managed to escape.

He honestly didn’t know how he did it and he kept expecting Deceit to pop up anytime and tell him it had been another trap.

But Deceit never showed up, so Virgil just kept running.

He ran for a long time. Barely stopping, staying in the shadows, not giving anyone another chance to find him.

The night turned to day and then back into night before Virgil allowed himself to stop. Everything hurt, but it was nothing compared to his past injuries. He collapsed against a wall, hidden from view in an alleyway.

Despite his exhaustion and aching body, he fell asleep with a smile on his face.


	7. Cold

Virgil was so cold.

Virgil hadn’t realized it had been close to winter when he escaped, not that that would have stopped him, but it would have been nice to know before he fell asleep outside.

It had been maybe a week since he had escaped. He hadn’t stopped moving, never settled down for too long. He wasn’t sure where he was going, but all he knew was he wanted to be as far away from Deceit as possible.

He fell asleep outside, only to wake with the sensation of numbness in almost his entire body. He panicked and opened his eyes to see white.

Snow.

His parents always told him to stay away from it. It was cold to the touch and therefore dangerous to people like him. They had a hard enough time keeping their own body heat normally after all.

A few flakes fell in front of his eyes and Virgil looked up. It must have snowed in the middle of the night.

Virgil shook the snow off, moving his body to try and gain his feeling back. It worked for the most part and Virgil wasted no time in moving forward once again.


	8. Freezing

 Virgil was  _freezing_.

 The cold had only gotten worse as the day wore on. More snow piled on the ground, even reaching the dark corners he used to avoid the humans.

 The snow was up to his knees at that point and slowly numbing them with how cold it was. His arms wrapped around himself, but it did little to nothing against the strong wind.

 Suddenly, Virgil collapsed. Whole body being thrown into the snow. A severe chill went up through his whole body and he choked down a cry.

 He couldn’t survive in this cold. Not for much longer.

 Virgil managed to push himself up again, but he swayed. He was weak, he knew. The cold had seeped into his bones and was slowly freezing him from the inside out. He managed to walk a little farther, until he was under something. Though he was too tired, too weak to tell what it was.

 He collapsed again and didn’t even bother to try and get up this time.

 He closed his eyes and let the darkness take him.


	9. Death

 Virgil didn’t know death would be so…peaceful.  


 He looked around the new place he was in. It was all white, as far as he could see, but it wasn’t snow. He wasn’t cold anymore, or in pain. And the last thing he remembered was being unable to move, surrounded by snow.

 So, he must be dead.

 He looked around, only to find he could see two figures walking toward him in the distance. He tensed up, scared, but soon realized the figures were  _his_  size. And that they seemed awfully familiar…

 “Mom? Dad?” He whispered out in shock. They smiled at him and Virgil felt tears fill his eyes. He ran to them, crying and they opened their arms to him. They all fell to their knees, still clinging onto each other. Virgil looked up, only to notice his parents were crying as well.

 “We missed you so much, Virgil.” His mother said. Virgil melted, it had been a long time since he had heard her voice.

 “You’ve grown so much.” His father said, ruffling his hair. He missed that, missed this, so much.

 They sat there in a comfortable silence for a long time, before Virgil finally gained the courage to ask.

 “Am I dead?” He held his breath as his parents looked down at him.

 They smiled.

 “Of course not, my stormy night. You are still very much alive.” His mother said, moving his hair from his eyes. Virgil felt both relieved and disappointed. Disappointed because…

 “Does this mean…you aren’t real?”

 “Not necessarily.” His mother said, and gave him a little wink. Virgil let out a little laugh, before feeling a shiver pass through him.

 “Whoa.” That had felt…weird. His parents looked at each other before turning back to him.

 “Looks like our time here is coming to an end.” His mother said, caressing his cheek gently. His father squeezed his shoulder.

 “You’ll be waking up soon.”

 “Don’t panic, your safe now.” His mom pressed her forehead to his, before hesitantly letting go and standing up. She gripped her husband’s hand and Virgil blinked up at them.

 “What do you mean?” They didn’t answer and just simply smiled at him.

 “Goodbye Virgil. We love you.”

 And Virgil woke up.


	10. Warmth

 The first thing Virgil became aware of when he awoke was an unusual warmth.

 Something surrounded him on all sides, giving off a heat Virgil hadn’t felt in forever. He subconsciously snuggled deeper into whatever it was, letting out a small sigh. The warmth went into his bones and let him relax.

 But…none of this lined up with his last memories. Of giving into the cold snow that surrounded him. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, his waking mind still trying to catch up with everything. Suddenly, the surface he was on  _shifted_ and Virgil’s eyes shot open. Every muscle in his body tensed and he forced his eyes to look down. He shook when he finally realized the type of surface he was on.

 A hand.

 Which meant a human had found him.

 He tried his best to stay as still as possible, since it didn’t seem like the human knew he was awake yet. He looked back up, to see he was actually still outside. The human was walking, holding Virgil in one hand with it pressed to his stomach. The human’s other hand was held a little above Virgil, to both stop the snow from falling and to make sure no one saw him.

 “It’s okay, you’re gonna be alright.” A voice spoke above him and Virgil tensed up even more. In a moment of bravery, he glanced up, looking past the hand to the human. Thankfully, the human wasn’t looking at him. Which meant he probably still didn’t know he was awake.

 “Just a little longer…” The human mumbled and Virgil looked back down. Despite his overwhelming fear, he was still weak and tired. The newfound warmth in his body helping with his sleepiness. Despite himself, he found his eyes closing.

 He fell into a dreamless sleep.


	11. Patton

Patton couldn’t quite believe it.

But it was hard not to when it was right in front of him.

A child, no more than eleven years old, only standing at maybe three inches tall.

But the child’s size was not the thing he was focused on right now.

No, he was more focused on the fact that this child was close to death.

Patton had decided to take a walk that day, the snow was lightening up and he loved looking at the outside world during winter. It was always so pretty.

He had been walking past a bench, when he stopped. He looked down at the bench with a confused expression. He had thought he heard something. He almost played it off as the wind, but the sound came again. It was oh so faint. So much so Patton still couldn’t believe he heard it. But he was very glad he did, because when he looked under the bench he saw the tiny child.

Once his brain caught up with what he was looking at, Patton wasted no time in scooping the poor thing up. The child was as cold as ice and barely breathing. This kicked Patton into overdrive and he hurried on his way home.

He held the child to his stomach, hovering his hand over him to keep him from the light snow and from any wandering eyes. Thankfully, the streets weren’t too crowded. He looked down when the child stirred and let out a small whimper. Patton grit his teeth, determination flashing in his eyes as he stared back ahead.

“It’s okay, you’re gonna be alright.” He murmured softly, his snow boots crunching through the snow at a quick pace.

“Just a little longer…” They were almost home and then maybe he could actually get to helping the poor thing. He turned the corner and saw his house. A two story, very homely looking place. He ran the last bit of the way, not wanting to waste anymore time.

He threw the front door open, breathing heavily.

“Logan! Roman! Help!”


	12. Logan

Logan wasn’t sure what he had expected when he heard Patton calling him and Roman down for help.

But it definitely wasn’t this.

Logan could only stare in silent shock at what Patton had in his hands. For a moment-just a moment-Logan had thought the small thing was a doll. But then it moved and Logan was now questioning everything.

If the tiny person in Patton’s hands was real and not just a figment of Logan’s imagination-which seemed impossible at this point, considering Patton could also see him and if the loud gasp from behind him was anything to go by, so could Roman-then this was an amazing discovery.

“Logan!” Patton’s panicked exclamation jostled him out of his thoughts. Patton looked at him desperately and Logan finally got a good look at the tiny person. He winced.

By the state the tiny human-the tiny child was in-he could focus on the what and how questions later.

“We need blankets, a heating pad and some room temperature water.” Logan listed off immediately, making Patton relax, even if it was just a tiny bit. Logan turned to Roman, who was still staring in shock at the tiny child.

“Roman.” Just like Logan, Roman was jolted out of his daze, standing up straighter.

“Right.” Roman left, going to gather the supplies. Logan turned back to Patton and guided him to the couch, both kneeling down before it.

“Go ahead and put him down here.” Logan said, tapping the couch. Patton hesitated, but did as told. The tiny child whimpered as it happened, Logan could only guess due to the loss of heat.

Thankfully, Roman appeared not a second later, everything Logan had asked for in his arms. Logan wasted no time in placing the tiny child onto the heating pad and covering him in a cocoon of blankets. The water, he set to the side for the moment.

“Is…is he gonna be okay?” Patton asked softly and when Logan looked at him, he seemed like he was a few words away from crying.

“He’ll be fine now, there isn’t a need to worry.” Logan assured him and he watched as Patton dropped his shoulders with a sigh of relief, making Logan realize just how tense and worried he had been.

“That’s-that’s good. I’m glad.” Again, Patton looked like he was about to cry, but he held it back.

“Great, now, do you mind telling us how you came across this…tiny…child?” Roman asked and Logan nodded in agreement. Patton looked between the two of them and shrugged.

“Well…”


	13. Roman

 Honestly, Roman was only half listening to what Patton was saying.

 He got the gist of it, Patton had been walking and had come across the tiny child, who was close to death and Patton picked him up and brought him here.

 For some reason, it was easy for him to wrap his mind around it when Patton was telling it. When it was in story form.

 But actually  _seeing_  the three inch tall child?

 Roman still couldn’t believe it.

 “That’s…all I know.” Patton finished up, causing Roman to listen back in. Only just now realizing he had been staring at the tiny child. He turned his attention away, focusing back on Logan and Patton.

 “This only raised more questions. What was he doing out there? Where did he come from? What even  _is_  he?” Logan questioned out loud, one hand combing through his hair. Roman could tell Logan was getting frustrated, he always did when he didn’t know something.

 “Well, we can figure all of that out _later_.” Patton said, his tone bordering on strict. “ _After_ he gets better and wakes up, alright?” Logan hummed, before standing up.

 “Well, I have some work I need to get done, please inform me when he is awake.” Patton nodded and Roman watched as Logan went back upstairs. Roman’s eyes narrowed slightly at his retreating form, but was pulled away when he heard Patton whisper.

 “He’s so  _small_.” Roman looked back at the child, only to see that Patton was now running a finger though his hair. And seeing that the child was barley bigger than it, was  _surreal_.

 “He truly is.” Roman couldn’t help but be in awe.

 “Do you think he has a home? Parents?” Patton asked and all Roman could do was shrug.

 “We’ll have to wait for when he wakes up.” Patton nodded and hummed as he continued to run his finger through the child’s hair.

 All was calm.

 Until it wasn’t.


	14. Back

 No, no this was impossible. It couldn’t be true. Virgil couldn’t be back.

 He had escaped, he  _knows_  he did.

 But then…why-why was  _Deceit_  staring down at him?

 “Oh, Virgil. You poor, _stupid_  thing.” The insult caused Virgil to flinch back and Deceit smirked. “Did you truly believe you could get away from me?” Deceit lowered his hand, petting the top of his head. Virgil whimpered, trying to duck away from the finger, but to no avail. Suddenly, Deceit’s smirk turned malicious and he tugged hard on Virgil’s hair. Virgil was thrown to the ground, a scream of pain escaping him. Deceit’s hand came away as Virgil rubbed at his head, tears pricking the corners of his eyes.

 “Did you enjoy your taste of freedom?” Deceit sneered, lowering his face close-too close-to Virgil. “Because you will never have it again.” The tears finally spilled as silent sobs echoed in Virgil’s chest.

 “Please…n-no…” Virgil whimpered out, but that had been the wrong thing to do.

 “I’m sorry, what was that?” Deceit’s hand came down again, this time wrapping his fingers around Virgil. Virgil tried to fight back, but couldn’t even muster up a struggle. He had become dizzy from Deceit’s earlier assault on his head.

 At Virgil’s silence, Deceit smirked.

 “That’s what I thought.” The yellow-eyed human stood to his full height, Virgil still in his uncomfortably tight fist.

 “Now.” Deceit said, as he placed Virgil on the kitchen counter. Virgil watched, tears still falling, as he opened a drawer the borrower was all too familiar with. The object gleamed in the light as Deceit raised it up and Virgil cowered at the sight.

 “We have some catching up to do.”


	15. Nightmare

 A loud sob broke out, catching both of the human’s attentions. “Oh, oh no. I think he’s having a nightmare…” Patton observed, eyes wide and sad as he watched the kiddo shake and cry.

 “Should-should we wake him up?” Roman asked, looking from Patton back down to the kid. His shoulders sagged as he saw Patton shake his head.

 “N-no, it’s not good to wake someone up from a nightmare. It could do more harm than good.” Patton explained and Roman looked on helplessly. It twisted him the wrong way, seeing the tiny kid in so much emotional turmoil. But Roman knew that if it was eating him up, it was absolutely destroying Patton.

 And it really was.

 Patton couldn’t stand it much longer, maybe he couldn’t wake him up, but he had to do  _something_.

 So, he reached out with both hands and oh so carefully scooped the kiddo up. Just like he had done when he had first found him.

 But this time he got a much different reaction.

 “No!” The kid suddenly shouted, startling both Patton and Roman. The kid’s slight shifts had turned into full on struggles and Patton was forced to put him down for fear of him hurting himself.

 When he was back on the couch, he sprang up, eyes wide and awake as he stared at the two of them. His breathing was coming out in short spurts and Patton could recognize the signs of a panic attack from a mile away.

 “Kiddo…” Patton tried, doing his best to keep his voice calm and level, but before anything else could be said or done, the kid ran to the edge of the couch and jumped.


	16. Running

 Honestly, Virgil hadn’t been thinking very straight when he dove off the side of the couch. It wasn’t like he wasn’t used to long distance falls, but in his already weakened state, it hurt probably more than it should have. He landed less than gracefully, his leg twisting at an unnatural angle. But adrenaline was leading him right now, and with it he quickly got back up and wasted no time in sprinting across the floor, ignoring the slight throbbing and pain coming from his ankle. He needed to get away.

 Away from the humans, away from the  _danger_.

 “What the-!”

 “Get him! B-but be careful!” He heard the humans shout and he covered his ears. Why did humans have to be so _loud_.

 He continued to run, tripping up slightly when he felt the ground beneath him shake. His breathing became more sporadic, his tears blurring his vision. He had to get away, had to get out of there.

 “Do you see him!?”

 “No I-wait! Over there, by the table!”

 Virgil didn’t even stop to see how close they were, he just chose a direction and booked it. Hoping, _praying_  he could find something to hide under or maybe even a hole to get into the wall with.

 Unfortunately, neither of those things happened.

 “What is all the commotion down here?” A new voice boomed overhead. Virgil saw the sudden appearance of a black dress shoe, but was unable to stop himself from running right into it. He yelped upon impact and fell to his butt, groaning in pain. He tried to ignore it and get back up, but his adrenaline was slowly leaving him, making the pain in his ankle more prominent.

 Virgil managed to stand, but was swept off his feet before he could start to run again.

 Panic overtook Virgil’s mind as he felt the familiar and unwanted presence of fingers surrounding him. Encasing him.  _Trapping_  him.

 He was frozen as he was lifted up to a pair of brown eyes with a thick black frame surrounding them.

 “So…it would appear that you are awake.” The voice that filled him was stoic, unfeeling. Not unlike a certain someone else.

 Virgil knew from experience there was no way out of the grip. No way to get away from whatever happened next. So Virgil did the only thing he  _could_  do.

 He braced himself.


	17. Safe?

 “Logan!”

 “You caught him!” Patton and Roman exclaimed respectively. They ran up to Logan to get a better look at the kid in his fist. Patton frowned when he saw the poor kiddo shaking in fear, his shoulders tense and his eyes closed.

 As if he was bracing for something.

 The thought of what that something could be broke Patton’s heart.

 If they didn’t help this kiddo soon, he wasn’t going to have much of a heart left.

 “Logan, can I…?” Patton asked, reaching a hand out. Logan looked at him for a moment before placing the tiny child onto his palm with an almost hidden sigh.

 “Shh, it’s okay kiddo. You’re safe here, no one is going to hurt you…” Patton spoke quietly, his voice gentle and soft. His fingers curled inwards a bit as he moved back over to the couch, Logan and Roman following close behind.

 Thinking it best to make as little contact as possible, Patton placed him back down on the couch. Though, this time making sure there would be no more escape attempts.

 “You’re safe kiddo, you’re  _safe_.” Patton continued on, with as much gentleness as before.

 Virgil recognized the voice, recognized the hand he had been in not a moment before. It was the same human who had found him out in the snow. The warmth he had woken up to. His voice was so gentle and calm, Virgil wanted to believe he  _was_  safe. Wanted to believe it more than  _anything_.

 But that wasn’t how humans worked.

 So he stayed silent, keeping his head in his arms. Ignoring the pain coming from his chest and ankle.

 Waiting for the inevitable.


	18. Reaction

 Patton was saddened to see no reaction come from the kiddo other than the tightening of his arms around his body. Seems his words of comfort weren’t working.

 “Kiddo…” Patton trailed off, voice cracking. Honestly, he was just about ready to cry for the poor thing.

 “Maybe words aren’t working,” Roman spoke up suddenly and Patton looked over to see a sparkle of an idea in his eyes. “But something else might!” He snapped and ran off into the kitchen, Patton the only one noticing the kiddo flinch.

 Roman came back seconds later, a cookie Patton had baked earlier that day in his hand. He kneeled back down and held the cookie out in front of him.

 “Come on little guy, you want a cookie? I bet you’re hungry.” Roman coaxed, waving the cookie around.

 Virgil, at the mention of food, heard his stomach rumble. He tensed even more, hoping the others hadn’t heard that. He couldn’t remember the last time he ate, and would honestly love to take the cookie. But Virgil knew what a trap looked like by now. And he wasn’t about to fall for it.

 Not again.

 “Well, shoot.” Roman said, his arm going limp. “I really thought that was going to work.”

 “Please.” The others turned their attentions to Logan, who rolled his eyes and adjusted his glasses. “It’s not enough to say you won’t hurt him, or offer him things he might want, you have to _show_  him.”

 Patton should have realized what Logan was about to do the second he said that. But he didn’t and so was too late to stop Logan as he reached out and touched the child.

 Unlike all the other times he had been touched or held, the child reacted.

 Violently.

 “No! No! Please, stop, no!” The child thrashed, causing Logan to immediately take his hand back in shock. They all watched with wide eyes as the child screamed and flailed, not knowing what to do.

 And while Logan was worried, he did have something else on his mind as well.

 The tiny child could  _talk_.

 Fascinating.


	19. Safe and Sound

 It was like Virgil could no longer tell what was up or down anymore. As soon as the human had touched his leg and sent a flash of pain through Virgil, he was gone.

 He was back with Deceit, his nightmare coming back to him and twisting into his reality. All he could see was the harsh glare of a yellow eye and a cruel smirk that only ever meant pain.

 His body shook uncontrollably and there was a heavy weight on his chest that refused to let him breath. Through the fog, he could just barely make out voices. Voices that were loud and bad and-!

 “ _Just close your eyes, the sun is going down,_ ”

 A voice broke through the rest and through the fog in his mind. The voice was familiar, yet different. It was warm and sent a nice feeling through Virgil’s body.

 “ _You’ll be alright, no one can hurt you now,_ ”

 Virgil felt his body stop shaking and the weight that was on his chest was suddenly lifted. The warm voice was speaking so nicely. Like nothing he had ever heard before. Deceit had never done something like this before. There was no way he was back.

 And Virgil so desperately wanted to believe what the voice was saying.

 “ _Come morning light, you and I’ll be safe and sound._ ”

 Virgil relaxed against the blanket he was on. He was breathing softly, eyes closed. He was slowly slipping into subconsciousness, and a part of him didn’t want that. But a bigger part of him wanted nothing more than to sleep away the pain and exhaustion he felt.

 So he gave in to the soft and warm voice and fell asleep.

 Feeling for the first time that he was  _truly_  safe.


	20. Care

 When Patton saw that the child was calm and had even fallen asleep, he let his singing fade out. **  
**

 “Whoa…” Patton looked over to Roman who was looking at him with wide eyes. A cough from his other side made him turn to Logan.

 “Well-um, well done Patton.” Patton blushed slightly.

 “Thanks.” Patton turned back to the child and smiled. Unlike the last time he was asleep, the kiddo had a small smile on his face. Good. Patton honestly wanted nothing more than for the kiddo to be happy.

 “Why do you think he reacted like that?” Roman asked, Logan humming in thought at his question.

 “I think…it was because I touched his leg.” Logan said, a slight tone of guilt buried in his voice. Patton’s eyes widened.

 “Oh! Poor thing, he must have hurt it when he was trying to escape.” Logan sent them both a questioning look and Roman took a moment to answer.

 “The kid jumped off the couch.”

 “Ah.”

 Logan turned back towards the boy, looking him over.

 “I think our next best course of action is to fix him up without waking him and then allowing him to wake up on his own in a less…crowded environment.” Logan suggested, causing Roman to raise an eyebrow in his direction.

 “So, you want only one of us to be with him for when he wakes up?” Logan nodded.

 “I’ll do it!” Patton whisper-yelled, being aware of the sleeping kiddo and wanting to keep him that way.

 “That is logically the best choice. You were the one who found him after all and the only one able to calm him down. If any of us can get through to him, it’s you.” Logan said, adjusting his glasses. While he knew that Patton  _was_  the best option, he sort of wished he could be the one looking after the boy. But it didn’t really matter.

 He would have plenty of time later, once he was more comfortable.

 “Awesome! So I’ll move him to my room, fix him up, and then wait for him to wake up.” Patton reached his hands out, being very careful of his leg as he scooped the kiddo up. He waited for a moment with baited breath, but when the kiddo didn’t stir he resumed his movements. He stood, bringing his hands to his chest.

 “Oh, Roman?” Roman stood up as well, followed by Logan.

 “Yes Padre?” Patton grinned at the nickname.

 “I think he might be hungry when he wakes up, could you maybe make something warm and bring it up when you have the chance?” Roman nodded and took an almost regal stance.

 “Of course! I will make the best, er…” Roman paused for a moment, thinking quickly. “Ah! The best pasta he or any of you have ever seen!” Patton giggled while Logan rolled his eyes at his dramatics.

 “I suppose that will suffice for our dinner as well.” Logan said, walking past everyone towards the stairs. “I’ll be in my room if you need me. Patton, please keep me up to date with him.” Patton nodded and watched as Logan walked up the stairs. Roman patted him on the back, startling him slightly. He turned and grinned at him.

 “I’ll be getting started on dinner. You should probably go take care of the kid.” Patton nodded.

 “Right.” As Roman went off into the kitchen, Patton went upstairs and into his room. He made a sort of nest/bed thing like he had done downstairs out of his bedding and then left for a moment to get the first aid kit. He kneeled by the bed, giving the kiddo a soft look as he rummaged through the kit.

 “Don’t worry kiddo.” Patton spoke, voice soft.

 “We’re gonna take good care of you.”


	21. Deceit

 The growl Deceit let out as he searched the house for his pet was almost inhuman. It was impossible, there was no way he could have escaped, not unless Deceit wanted him to. And this was definitely not part of one of his games.

 He let out a yell as he angrily slammed the drawer shut. He searched the whole house, every nook, every cranny, even bust a few holes in the walls.

 His pet was gone.

 And perfect timing too. Just when Deceit had been planning on showing off his little obedient pet.

 Well, no matter.

 Deceit composed himself and stepped outside. He looked up into the graying clouds, knowing it was only a matter of time before snow struck.

 His pet was at least smart enough to not get caught up in it. And with how small he was, there was no way he could get too far.

 Deceit smirked.

 He would find his pet eventually.

  _No matter what_.

 

**End of Act I**


	22. Half-Asleep

 The feeling of safety was still present as Virgil began to stir awake. As his senses came back to him, he could feel a soft, warm fabric wrapped around him. It was nice.

 And then Virgil heard voices.

 “Thanks Roman, I’m sure he’s going to love it.” The warm voice. From before. Virgil couldn’t help but relax.

 There was a soft click and then thundering yet…gentle footsteps.

 The surface he was on dipped, suddenly, but only enough that it was noticeable.

 Virgil decided to open his eyes.

 The human, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, noticed.

 “You’re awake.” The human spoke, in that nice gentle tone Virgil liked. The human smiled and for some reason, Virgil wasn’t frightened by it. “How are you feeling?”

 Virgil wanted to answer, but it turned out he wasn’t fully awake yet. His eyelids grew heavy and he found his conscious slipping away once again.


	23. Unknown Past

 Patton watched as the kiddo’s eyes closed, falling asleep once more. He smiled softly. Well, it was a good thing Roman brought the spaghetti covered in tin foil. It should at least keep it warm for a bit longer.

 It was strange though. Patton wasn’t sure if it was because the kiddo was half-asleep or what, but he had barely reacted at all. Not in fear or otherwise.

 A part of Patton was happy about that, but another part wondered if it would be the same when he woke up for real.

 His eyes danced over to the kiddo’s bandaged leg, something that had taken Patton a good twenty minutes to accomplish. It was probably good he hadn’t been awake for it, but Patton thought he had done a pretty good job. Hopefully the injury would heal soon, Patton hated the thought of the kiddo being in any pain.

 A quiet knock on the door took away Patton’s attention and he got up to answer it. Logan stood in the doorway with a questioning gaze.

 “Has he awoken yet?” Logan asked, trying to look past Patton to see the tiny kid. Patton pursed his lips and did an ‘eh’ motion with his hand.

 “Kind of. But he was really out of it and fell asleep again.” Patton explained, keeping his voice down. He glanced back behind him, but the kiddo hadn’t stirred.

 “Interesting. He must be more exhausted than I thought.” Patton hummed in agreement.

 “I mean, he’s had a pretty rough day, with me finding him in the snow, his leg getting hurt, him being scared of all of us, his panic attack…” Patton listed off, feeling worse and worse as he did so. Logan nodded.

 “Yes, and those are just the things we know of.” Patton blinked and looked at Logan with confusion.

 “What do you mean?”

 “Well, for one, we have no idea how he got caught in the snow. Nor anything about him and his past, for that matter.” Logan paused, furrowing his eyebrows. “From reactions so far, it may seem like his past has been…quite troubled.” Patton’s eyes went wide, a concerned frown on his lips.

 “You-You think so?” Logan nodded.

 “Of course, that is just a theory I have. We won’t know anything for sure until he tells us himself.”

 “R-Right.” They both stood in silence for a moment, the two of them looking back at the small child, still sleeping peacefully.

 “Well, I’ll be going. It’s best if there are as few of us here when he wakes up as possible.” Logan paused before he truly left. “And please, inform me of when he is awake and calm. I would like to speak with him as soon as possible.” Patton tilted his head at that, but still nodded.

 “Sure thing Lo.” Logan nodded and left back to his room, Patton only closed his door once Logan closed his.

 He made his way back towards the bed and sat back down. He felt the top of the foil of the spaghetti he had placed to the side. Still warm.

 Patton looked back at the kiddo with a small frown, thinking back to what Logan had said.

 He hoped the kiddo woke up soon.


	24. Differences

 This time, when Virgil woke up, he was on high alert. **  
**

 He barely remembered waking up before. Things were blurring, but he does remember feeling calm. Feeling safe.

 He didn’t feel very safe at the moment.

 Not when he knew there was a human in the room with him.

 It only took Virgil opening his eyes a peek to see the blue shirt wearing human. The one who had found him in the snow. He was focused on something else for a moment, but then, suddenly, the human’s gaze turned to him. Virgil closed his eyes, hoping the human hadn’t seen him awake.

 “Kiddo?” The human spoke and Virgil tensed.

 “It’s okay kiddo, I know you’re awake, but you don’t have to get up yet if you don’t want to. Just take your time. I promise nothing bad is going to happen to you.” The human’s voice was soft, gentle,  _warm_. And nothing but reassurances left his lips.

 It  _had_  to be a trap.

 Some sort of game the humans were playing, one that would soon turn sour for Virgil.

 That’s what always happened with Deceit, anyway.

 Why would it be any different with them?

 Virgil didn’t move, still tense, but even after several minutes passed, the human didn’t move. Not to grab him, leave, or even stretch. He just sat there, looking at him with a gentle smile.

 Virgil picked himself up and looked at the human wearily. Only to look down when he finally noticed his leg and how it was bandaged up.

 Had…had the human done that?

 He looked back up at the human with alarm, but also confusion. The human seemed to pick up on it.

 “I hope you don’t mind I fixed up your leg. It wasn’t broken, thankfully, but it will take a few days for it to fully heal. Are-um, does it still hurt?” Virgil blinked at the question. He was about to nod yes, from force of habit, before he really thought about it.

 To his utter surprise, his leg no longer hurt.

 Even when Deceit played nice, cleaned his wounds, they still hurt.

 So why was this different?

 Cautiously, he shook his head no.

 “Oh, that’s good!” The human exclaimed and then there was silence. Virgil shifted where he sat. He thought about running, but that didn’t exactly work out well for him last time. And maybe he could get away from  _this_  human, but then he had two more to deal with.

 Virgil was used to one human, not three.

 “I’m Patton, by the way.” The human spoke up again. Virgil blinked. Was…Did he actually tell him his name?

 Patton…

 Even his name was warm.  


	25. Dinner

 “Oh!” Virgil jumped at the sudden exclamation and the hum-and Patton apologized. “Sorry, kiddo. But I just realized, you’re probably hungry, huh?” As if on cue, Virgil’s stomach grumbled. Virgil couldn’t help but panic. It was never a good thing when Deceit heard Virgil’s stomach growl.

 Patton chuckled and Virgil tensed, waiting.

 But instead of reaching for him, Patton reached to the side of him, where Virgil couldn’t see and brought out what appeared to be a plate with foil on it. Virgil was confused.

 “Let me just-” Patton said before taking off the tinfoil and revealing…something. Virgil wasn’t sure what it was, only that is was some kind of food.

 It looked weird.

 “Roman made us some spaghetti to eat once you woke up!” So, the food was called spaghetti? Patton placed the plate down between himself and Virgil. Virgil could see the steam coming off of it, indicating it was warm.

 Patton hummed, causing Virgil to snap his attention back up at him. The human seemed to be looking from the food to Virgil and back.

 “I…don’t really think any of us thought this through. Um…hold on, maybe if I…” Patton reached out and Virgil cowered, until he realized the hand stopped short at the plate of food. He grabbed one of the spaghettis and broke a little piece off at the end.

 This time, when Patton’s hand reached out, it  _was_  coming right toward him. Virgil ducked down, covering his hands over his head, waiting to be scooped or grabbed.

 “No, hey, kiddo. It’s okay, I just wanted to hand the noodle to you.” Patton said, voice still gentle and low. Virgil cautiously looked up and saw that Patton was indeed holding out the broken off noodle. He looked from it to up at Patton before quickly and carefully grabbing it and bringing it back towards him. Patton smiled and watched as Virgil took a bite.

 It was amazing.

 It was warm, and the red stuff on it was  _really_  good. Nothing Deceit had ever given him tasted like this.

 Virgil continued to eat until his piece was gone.

 “Did you want another piece?” Patton asked and Virgil looked up with hopeful eyes. Deceit never gave him more.

 “Y-Yes please.” He said, not really thinking about it. He slapped a hand over his mouth when he realized, Patton’s eyes going wide. He spoke. He spoke out of turn and now Patton was probably going to-

 “Here you go kiddo.” Patton said softly, holding out another piece. Virgil blinked and took the noodle like before.

 Virgil was kind of shocked nothing had happened.

 Maybe…Patton really  _was_  different.


	26. Name

 Virgil found himself thinking while he continued to eat. Silence filled the room, but it was…comfortable. And even though Patton was watching him, he was doing so with such gentle eyes. Virgil didn’t feel bad under the gaze. Not like when- **  
**

 Virgil sighed. He really needed to stop thinking about him.

 Virgil shook those thoughts away, going back his original line of thought. Patton had told him his name…it was only fair Virgil told him his, right? Besides, it was only a matter of time before he would be asked-at least, he hoped it would have been given as a question and not as a demand-so he figured why not get it over with.

 He turned back to Patton once he was finished eating his second noodle.

 “Thank you.” He started with and Patton grinned.

 “Of course kiddo.” Silence fell between them again and Virgil took a deep breath.

 “My…My name is Virgil.” Virgil spoke softly. He watched as Patton’s grinning smile dropped, his eyes going wide. Virgil couldn’t stop the sense of dread welling up inside him.

 Did he not like his name? Had Patton not wanted it? Had the human already thought up a different name for him? Virgil opened his mouth to speak-what, he wasn’t sure-but Patton beat him too it.

 “Virgil…That’s a really nice name kiddo, it suits you!” Patton said, smiling once again and Virgil’s eyes widened. He felt a flush rise to his cheeks, no one had ever…complimented his name before.

 Deceit hadn’t liked his name.

 “You aren’t…going to change it?” Virgil hesitantly asked, fingers nervously messing with the front of his shirt. Patton’s eyes, once again, went wide and then sad.

 “What? Of course not kiddo. That’s-That’s your  _name_ , why would I-” He was cut off by the turn of a knob and the creaking of a door opening.

 Virgil only made out a flash of red before he dug into the blankets and hid.


	27. Trust?

 “Hello Patton.” Greeted Roman. “Just came in the check up on you. Is the kid still asleep?” Patton blinked, caught off guard by Roman’s sudden entrance. **  
**

 “Oh, uh actually-” Is was at that moment Virgil decided to take a peek at the other human. Unfortunately, the human had already been staring in his direction and their eyes met. Virgil tensed.

 “He  _is_  awake!” Roman exclaimed, coming closer towards the borrower. Virgil, at the sight of the human moving closer, yelped and cowered. Patton saw his distress and stood up to stop Roman by placing an arm over his chest.

 “Roman, wait. You’re scaring him!” Roman blinked, before taking another look at Virgil. Now that he was actually paying attention, the fear in the kid’s eyes were very apparent. Seeing it made him feel guilty.

 “Oh, I’m sorry, I did not mean to.” Roman apologized, mostly towards Virgil and then took a step back for good measure. Patton nodded at Roman’s apology before turning back towards Virgil.

 “Hey, it’s alright kiddo, Roman’s one of my best friends. He won’t hurt you, I promise.” Patton gave Virgil one of those soft and gentle smiles. Virgil relaxed slightly, though he still kept a wary eye on Roman.

 “He’s right, I wish not to lay harm on you whatsoever.” Roman said and then bowed. Virgil blinked, incredibly confused about the gesture. But he ignored his confusion and focused more on what Roman had said.

 Should he trust this red shirt wearing human? Should he even trust Patton? He found himself more comfortable in the latter’s presence, that was for sure. He was like the exact opposite of Deceit. Kind, caring and honest.

 Virgil couldn’t help but be drawn to the human.

 “-not mine to give after all. He can tell you on his own time.” He heard Patton say as he came back to reality. He looked up at the humans, only to see Roman crossing his arms with a pout.

 “Fine. I understand.” Roman said, eyes glancing down at Virgil. Virgil tensed and turned away, not able to keep the gaze. Roman was a lot bigger than Patton, in size and voice and it was pretty intimidating.

 “Oh!” Patton suddenly exclaimed after a few moments of silence, causing both Roman and Virgil to jump in surprise. “I almost forgot, I promised to tell Logan once the kiddo woke up.” He thought for a moment before turning a kneeling down so he was more eye level with Virgil.

 “Hey kiddo? Would it be alright if I left you with Roman for a moment? I promise he won’t do anything to you, right Roman?” Patton turned to Roman, who nodded.

 “I will even stay all the way over here if it makes you more comfortable.” Roman said and Patton turned back to Virgil to see his reaction. The kiddo was fidgeting nervously, looking between him and Roman.

 “It won’t be for long and I’ll be right back.” Virgil let out a shaky sigh, but nodded. Patton smiled and stood up.

 “Great! Like I said, I’ll be right back!” Patton, as he left the room, gave Roman a look.

 Then the door closed and Virgil was alone with Roman.


	28. Worry

Patton walked over towards Logan’s room, knocking on the door. He waited until he heard a quiet ‘come in’ before pushing the door open. He saw Logan at his desk, notebook in front of him with his laptop not far behind. He was writing something down, but when Patton came farther into the room he stopped and looked to him.

“Ah, Patton. What is it?” Patton only caught a glimpse of what was on the screen and journal before both were closed.

“I just wanted to tell you that the kiddo woke up.” Patton watched as Logan’s eyes lit up for a brief moment.

“Really? Well, thank you for informing me Patton.” Logan stood up and grabbed his journal as he headed for the door, but Patton stopped him.

“Logan…” Logan looked at him confused.

“Yes?” His friend looked up at him with a sort of sad smile.

“I know you don’t mean any harm Lo, but if you go in there and start right off with questions and looking him over, you’re going to scare him.” Patton said softly. Logan tensed and sighed.

“How did you-”

“I know you Lo.” Patton cut him off. “I know how you are. Not to mention, I happened to catch a glimpse of what was on your laptop.” Logan was silent for a moment.

“…I didn’t find a whole lot, but I did find a few accounts of people catching glimpses of these tiny, human like creatures. I…had been hoping to learn more from the child himself.” Logan sighed once more, deflating. “But you are correct. I would only scare him.” Logan walked back to his desk and put the notebook back down.

“I would still like to check on him, to see how he is doing, though.” Logan said, turning back towards Patton. Who nodded.

“Of course. He’s been up for a bit. Even talked to me a little. He’s such a sweet kiddo, but…” Patton paused, thinking back on his time with Virgil. “Logan, I’m scared to find out what he’s been through.” He had seen the looks on Virgil’s face, like he was thinking over everything Patton said or did and wondering whether or not it was meant to be a trick.

“I know, Patton.” Logan said, but Patton shook his head.

“No, you-you don’t understand, Logan, he told me his name. And it’s such a unique and special name, but-but you should have seen the look on his face. And then he asked me-and then he asked me if I was going to change it.” Patton said the last part so softly he might as well have been whispering. He was trying his best to hold back his tears, but it was proving fruitless as he felt them run down his cheeks. “Whatever happened to him, it’s not good.”

Logan was silent, not knowing what to say. That was certainly worrying, and put his previous theory at a high possibility. Logan came over and placed a hand on Patton’s shoulder, causing the oldest to look up at him.

“I know, but remember, he is safe now. Even if he does not know it yet, I think in time he will.” Patton nodded and Logan paused for a moment, thinking. “Have you asked him about any family he may have that we can bring him back to?” Patton shook his head.

“Not yet, I was sort of trying to ease him into things before getting into any questions. But…what if he doesn’t have anyone to go to?” Logan shook his head as he led them both out into the hallway.

“We will cross that bridge if we come to it.”


	29. Age

 Virgil shifted nervously, fidgeting with the sheets of the bed. Being alone with this new human, Roman, didn’t feel as bad as when he was with Deceit, but he was still fairly uncomfortable. Thankfully, Roman seemed to be staying true to his word, and hadn’t moved from the opposite end of the room. **  
**

 Though Virgil knew that could change in an instant.

 “So…” The human started, catching Virgil’s full attention. “What’s your name? Patton said you already told him.” Virgil was loath to speak to this human, though he was curious as to why Patton hadn’t just told Roman his name.

 After a few moments of silence, Roman sighed. “Alright, fine. You don’t have to tell me, Winter Night.” Roman said, causing Virgil to look at him with confusion. Roman noticed this and smiled.

 “I figured if I can’t call you by a real name, some nicknames will do for now.” Roman explained, winking.

 Oh, Virgil thought. So it was like when Patton had called him kiddo. Though, Roman’s nickname was a lot more strange than Patton’s. And that was coming from a borrower who didn’t know much else about it.

 “If you don’t want to tell me your name then how about your age? How old are you?” Roman asked, once again striking through Virgil’s thoughts. The question made him think though. How old was he? Well, if he was five when his parents…left and nine when Dec-when he was found and it was around three years that he was with him, then…

 “Twelve.” Virgil said, not realizing he had spoken aloud.

 Now Roman knew the kid could talk, yet it still shocked him to hear him. “You’re twelve?” The kid was so skinny and small, Roman would have put him at around eight.

 Virgil blinked, flinching away slightly when he realized what he had done. But he nodded after some hesitation, confirming his age.

 “Huh.” Even though he wasn’t eight like Roman originally thought, he was still very young. Much too young to have been found almost frozen to death out in the snow. How had he gotten there anyway…?

 His thoughts were interrupted by the door opening and Virgil perked up when he saw Patton, only to flinch back once again when the other human came through behind him. The one that had grabbed him earlier when he had tried to run. Logan, he thinks Patton called him.

 Logan’s cold eyes met his and Virgil couldn’t help but duck away again. Hiding from yet another human.


	30. Yelling

 Logan’s eyes softened when he saw the child ducking down to hide in the covers. He felt the pull to get closer and reassure him, but he stayed put. Knowing that would only make things worse.

 Patton, however, had no qualms about getting closer to the child. And surprisingly, neither did the child, who actually perked up when Patton came closer.

 “Hey kiddo, it’s okay. That’s just Logan, he won’t hurtcha.” Even with Patton’s gentle words, Virgil felt overwhelmed. There were currently three humans in the room, all focused on him. That had never happened before. And even though he was starting to feel okay around one of them, the other two were still unknown factors. Virgil wasn’t quite sure what to do.

 Logan noticed his panic and took a small step forward, Virgil’s eyes were immediately on him. “I assure you that Patton is indeed correct. I only wish to know how you are feeling.” Logan spoke softly. Not for the first time, he wished he had something close to Patton’s sweet and gentle tone. But he did try his best.

 Virgil tensed as Logan spoke, looking from him to Patton and then at Roman who hadn’t said anything since the others had entered. Virgil fidgeted at the implied question, once again wondering why a human would care about how he was feeling. His eyes met Patton’s again.

 “I’m…okay.” He said quietly. Pulling up the blanket to hide half of his face. Logan simply nodded, while Patton smiled. It was then that Roman finally decided to speak up.

 “So…what on earth happened that led you to being passed out in the snow?” Roman asked, curiosity taking over. Virgil’s eyes widened.

 “I-I-” He stammered, but before he could even try and get anything more out, or decide if he even wanted to in the first place, Patton jumped up and glared at Roman.

 “Roman!” Patton placed his hands on his hips and Roman threw his hands up.

 “What? We’re all wondering!” Patton continued to glare.

 “That doesn’t mean you can just ask out of the blue! He’s still scared.” Patton dropped his glare a tiny bit at his last statement.

 “Patton is correct. And while I would love to ask my own questions, it would not be best to do so right this moment.” Logan said, stepping in.

 Virgil scooted back, wrapping his arms around himself. He knew the glares and the yelling weren’t pointed at him, he  _knew_  that.

 But it reminded him all too much of Deceit.

 “But if we don’t ask, how are we going to help!” Virgil heard Roman shout.

 “We can help in other ways! Just being there for him and taking care of him until he’s ready to talk!” Patton exclaimed back. Virgil shook, not even focused on the words at this point. All he could hear was loud voices, yelling. Yelling at  _him_. He had to go, had to get away before the pain came.

 He looked up, noticing none of the humans were looking at him. Too focused on each other.

 This was his chance.

 He ran to the other end of the bed and started to climb down. He winced as pain shot through his leg, forgetting it was hurt for a moment. But it wasn’t the worst pain he had felt by far, so he pushed through and dropped down to the floor.

 He looked around before running under the bed and towards the wall it was pushed against. He felt around it, but there was nothing. No give, no door, no exit. Either there were no doors in the house at all or he had simply chosen a bad spot. Either way, he wasn’t leaving the room anytime soon.

 So he pushed his back up against the wall and curled up.

 Hoping he wouldn’t be found.


	31. Search

“Alright! I’m sorry I asked, I won’t do it again.” Roman finally apologized, crossing his arms. Patton breathed out a sigh of relief, smiling up at Roman.

“Thank you.” He turned back to the bed, looking on with sad eyes as he assumed Virgil must have hidden himself under the covers. “I’m sorry about that kiddo, you can come out now, no one is going to hurt-” Patton cut himself off when he had gently lifted the covers but didn’t see Virgil underneath. His eyebrows furrowed.

“Virgil?” Patton called out, before slowly taking the whole blanket off the bed. He scanned his bed, but the little kiddo was gone. “Virgil!” Patton cried out again, this time in a panic.

Logan groaned and ran a hand over his face. “Not again.” He muttered, remembering earlier when he had stopped Virgil from running away. Roman, for his part, was ready to step forward and help look, but Patton turned and stopped him.

“Wait! Don’t move!” Roman froze and he looked at Patton with wide eyes. Patton bit his lip. “We have no idea where he is. I just want to make sure we won’t…crush him if we move.” After he spoke, Patton scanned the floor. Roman did too and even Logan scanned the corners and any other part Patton and Roman might not catch.

When they didn’t see Virgil, Patton found it safe to move. Though he did so slowly, keeping his eyes on the floor the whole time. “Virgil? Please come out, we didn’t mean to scare you!”

“The yelling was probably what made him run and hide.” Logan said. Patton hated to think he was cause for any fear in Virgil, but he had yelled as well. Roman was feeling guilty too, not only had he asked a question Virgil probably wasn’t read to answer, but he had basically started the yelling. This was all his fault.

Logan, on the other hand, was adding to his theory as he helped search the room for Virgil. The yelling had most likely been some sort of trigger to Virgil, if it had caused him to run and hide. Though Logan hated to think what had caused Virgil to have that particular trigger in the first place.

Patton got down on his knees to search under the bed. His eyes scanned every inch and he froze when he saw the huddled figure at the end of the bed. He had almost missed it, but the shaking had caused him to focus on it.

Patton’s heart broke. The poor kiddo was terrified.

“Oh Virgil…”


	32. Proven True

 Virgil’s head snapped up and he found himself looking into Patton’s eyes. The human was looking at him with such sadness and concern that despite Virgil’s fear he  _wanted_  to go to him. Wanted to once again be warmed by Patton’s presence and care.

 But then the other humans joined him on the floor and the thought left his mind.

 “Virgil, it’s okay. We’re sorry for scaring you, but we promise we aren’t going to hurt you.” Patton said, voice soft. Virgil didn’t say anything, instead tucking his head into his knees. Patton frowned.

 Logan frowned as well, but with a more thoughtful look on his face. “It was our yelling that triggered you, correct? You weren’t just scared of us, you were reminded of something or…someone?” Logan spoke, though he did so carefully, trying his best to keep his voice as gentle as possible.

 Virgil snapped his head up to look at Logan. “H-How did you know that?” Virgil found himself speaking aloud, immediately slamming a hand over his mouth in shock. Logan, however, answered normally.

 “I didn’t. It was simply a hypothesis. One that was just proven true…” Which, despite how he loved to be right, he didn’t feel so good about it this time. Knowing what him being right meant for Virgil’s past.

 Virgil slowly, shakily, removed his hand from his mouth. Looking at all three humans. “I-I…” He was cut off by Patton.

 “Hey, you don’t need to tell us anything if you aren’t ready. Okay? We’re not going to force you to talk.” Patton said, giving him a small smile. Virgil nodded, hesitantly sending a smile back. He was glad for that. He didn’t think he could get through one word about Deceit before breaking down.

 “Do you want to come out now?” Patton asked once again, holding a hand out for the tiny kiddo. Virgil hesitated, looking into the eyes of all the human’s. He half expected to see yellow in one of their eyes, but all he  _could_  see was concern. No hint of malice or anything of the sort. Even Logan’s stone cold gaze had softened into something a bit warmer.

 Virgil unfurled himself and started walking towards Patton’s offered hand. He hesitated greatly before carefully climbing into the palm. He had never done  _this_  before. Usually he was just grabbed or picked up. Even by these humans. It was…nice to have a ride offered to him.

 He settled down criss cross in the center, only to hug himself as the hand started to move and lift upwards. He watched as the towering humans all got up off the floor, now standing. The movement was a bit jarring, but he could tell Patton had been trying to be careful.

 “You wanna be put back on the bed?” Virgil nodded and Patton did so, carefully letting Virgil slide back into his little nest of blankets.

 It was also nice, actually being listened to.

 Virgil did shy away from the humans looming over him, which Patton noticed and guided the other two down to kneel on the floor. With them on the floor, he was about eye level with them all now. Fear still took hold of his mind at the sight of the three humans staring at him.

 But his heart was now a little more open.


	33. Stay

 “How’s your leg doing after all of that?” Patton asked suddenly, causing Virgil to blink and look down at said leg. He had almost forgotten about it, amidst his panic. He moved it a little, wincing when it stung. Patton frowned when he saw this. **  
**

 “Does it feel any worse?” Logan asked, making Virgil turn his attention to him. Virgil thought for a moment, rubbing his leg. He hesitated before answering.

 “No, it feels about the same as before.” Logan nodded at Virgil’s answer, but Patton frowned.

 “Either way, climbing and running on it probably didn’t help at all.” Patton pointed out and Virgil bunched his shoulders up, looking down.

 “I’m sorry.” Patton’s eyes widened.

 “Oh! No, it’s okay. You don’t have to be sorry, you were just trying to protect yourself after all.” Virgil blinked away the tears that had begun to form and looked up to see Patton giving him a gentle smile. Virgil gave a small one back and Patton seemed to light up.

 “Still, you probably shouldn’t be on it much anymore, if you want it to heal quickly.” Logan piped up again and Patton nodded in agreement. Virgil frowned.

 “H-How long until it heals?” Logan seemed a bit surprised at the question, or more so at Virgil  _asking_  a question, but thought for a moment. “Well, it isn’t that severe, so I would say a week at the most. Possibly sooner if you truly stay off of it.” Virgil nodded, a week of not being able to move around on his own, huh? Well, it wasn’t too bad, considering he had gone for a lot longer.

 Virgil looked away from his leg to look back up at the humans, just in time to see Roman nudging Patton in the side. Patton, for some reason, looked a little nervous. Virgil thought about asking what was wrong, but still found himself too anxious to do so. Besides, before he could even try to ask, Patton turned back to him and spoke.

 “So…Uh, how would you feel about staying here with us?” Virgil’s eyes widened, which caused Patton to back track. “Just until you’re all healed! And of course you don’t have to, but-”

 “It would be for the best, so we can watch your progress. Not only for your leg but your overall physical state. We did find you halfway frozen in the snow after all. Though it appears you have no residual effects, it is best to be safe rather than sorry.” Logan spoke, cutting Patton off.

 “But it’s still your choice!” Patton piped back in with a smile. Virgil blinked, shocked. He had simply assumed he would be staying no matter what, but here they were. Giving him a  _choice_.

 To stay or to leave.

 For the week anyway.

 Virgil had never had a choice in anything before being with these humans. He found that he liked it. Liked taking charge of his own fate. And somehow, he knew they weren’t lying when they said they would let him leave. It was a small feeling he had, but a strong one.

 It  _would_  be best if he stayed until he was fully healed and besides, he found himself wanting to learn more about these humans. Especially Patton. And he didn’t want to leave the warmth he provided, not yet.

 “I’ll stay.” Virgil said, causing Patton to grin.

 “Yay! Don’t worry Virgil, we’ll get you to top shape in no time!” Patton promised.

 And Virgil believed him.


	34. Talk

 “You were supposed to ask if he had anyone to go to and if he wanted to stay  _permanently_. Not just for the week.” Roman said to Patton, who was currently making up some popcorn for their annual movie night. Virgil had been invited, but despite his want to trust he was still skittish. He decided to stay in bed and get some more rest, which Logan agreed was for the best.

 So, while Virgil slept upstairs, the three were going to watch a few movies.

 Patton looked sheepish as he took the popcorn out. “I know, but I didn’t want to put that all on him  _now_. I figured I could ask him after this week and by then it would be easier for him to decide? Though…” Patton placed a hand on his cheek. “Now that I think about it, it might have been better for me to ask if he had anyone to go to, at the very least.” Even though Virgil agreed to stay, they might unknowingly be keeping him from his family.

 “I don’t think so.” Logan said as he stepped into the kitchen. Patton raised an eyebrow at him.

 “What? Why?” Patton asked and Logan sighed.

 “I don’t think he  _has_  anyone else.” Patton’s eyes widened and Roman looked at Logan with crossed arms.

 “And what makes you say that?” Logan shrugged.

 “Based on my earlier theory being proven correct, it isn’t too much of a stretch that he would have no family. Or at the very least, he wouldn’t know where they are.” Both his friends sent him confused looks and Logan spoke up again before they could ask anything. “I am not for sure though and I won’t be speaking my theory aloud until I have spoken confirmation from Virgil himself. No need to scare Virgil any further, if he happened to overhear.” Logan said softly, causing Patton to give him a small smile.

 “I agree. And as of right now, let’s just take care of him and get him back to full health, alright?” The other two nodded in agreement and Patton smiled as he handed off the bowl of popcorn to Roman. Roman took it and practically ran into the living room.

 “Now! Time for movie night!”


	35. Comfort

 It was during the switch to the second movie that Patton felt it, a tug in his gut, a feeling in his chest. His gaze settled on the stairs, climbing up them with his eyes. Roman noticed Patton’s faraway look as he turned back around after putting the movie in.

 “Pat? Everything alright?” Roman asked. Patton’s hum sounded like a mixture of distress and unsureness.

 “I don’t know…” Patton trailed off, eyes not leaving the top of the stairs. He stood up. “I’m going to go check on Virgil.”

 “Wait, Pat-” Roman started, only for Patton to cut him off.

 “Start the movie without me, I’ll be right back.” Roman pursed his lips, but nodded. Patton started up the stairs and halfway he started hearing the beginning of their next movie. He continued up and slowly pushed his door open, looking towards the bed.

 He stepped into the room, his eyes scanning the bed for Virgil as he did so. He spotted him, curled up in the nest of covers. Patton stopped as he stood right above him.

 Nothing  _seemed_  wrong.

 But the feeling had yet to go away.

 And it was at that moment that Virgil started to thrash and cry out. Eyes wide, Patton kneeled down next to the bed and placed his hands around Virgil, but didn’t touch him.

 Of course, a nightmare made sense. He should have known after what had happened before.

 “Hey, it’s okay kiddo. It’s alright, you’re safe, you’re  _safe_.” Patton spoke in a hushed tone, trying to calm Virgil down. Virgil let out a gasp, eyes flying open. He caught sight of Patton and panicked. Patton frowned in concern for a moment, before putting on a soft smile.

 “Hey, it’s alright. It’s just me Virgil, just Patton. You’re okay, you’re safe.” Patton repeated calmly. Virgil realized who was talking, realized the human in front of him was not Deceit, but Patton and he relaxed.

 “There we go.” Patton paused for a moment, before asking, “is it alright if I hold you?” Virgil paused for a moment in hesitation, before slowly nodding, because nothing sounded better than some comfort right now. Patton gave him a small smile as he gently scooped him up in his cupped hands.

 Patton stood and got onto the bed, situating himself so he was sat up against the headboard. He looked down at Virgil as he held him close to his chest and gently rocked him.

 “Did you want to talk about it?” Patton asked the small kiddo, but Virgil shook his head vigorously. “Alright, that’s okay. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” He felt Virgil relax.

 “Do you want me to stay? Or would you rather me leave?” Patton asked after a few minutes, again his voice was soft. Virgil debated with himself, but the answer was already clear as his hands subconsciously gripped Patton’s shirt.

 “Stay?” He spoke softly. Patton sent him a soft look.

 “Of course kiddo.” And so Patton did. Humming as he continued to hold and rock Virgil. Virgil was the first to fall back asleep, mind now at rest. Patton looked down at him, filled with so much love and protectiveness for this tiny brave kiddo. He bent down and placed a soft kiss to Virgil’s head, before leaning back against the headboard once again.

 It wasn’t long before he too, fell asleep.


	36. Deceit's Idea

 Deceit wanted to find his little pet, of course he did. But he couldn’t just go door to door asking if anyone had found it. Or scour the entire town on his own.

 But that didn’t stop him from coming up with a more…manageable idea.

 Deceit called in a favor and a few hours later he was walking through the police station. He kept low and avoided eye contact with the officers as his buddy led him into the security room.

 “I’m not technically supposed to be doing this, so you don’t have a whole lot of time.” His buddy said as Deceit sat in the chair and started typing on the main computer.

 “Of course. I shouldn’t be long.” His buddy nodded and went out of the room and started to look like he was being busy, but Deceit knew he was keeping a careful eye on the door.

 Deceit turned his attention back on the computer and typed out the date and his address. One of the many screens in the room was suddenly linked to the camera that was across the street from his house.

 He skipped back to around the time he thought his pet escaped. And then leaned in and simply watched.

 It took a little bit of time and a lot of searching, but he finally saw something move near the grass on the right side of his house. He zoomed the camera in as much as it could go and grinned when he got a fairly good look at his pet.

 He watched until his pet left the cameras line of sight before switching to the next camera. This time it only took a few seconds of searching before he once again saw his pet. He smiled.

 Now, he just had to follow it. And sooner or later he would find out where it was hiding.


	37. Morning

 When Virgil woke up the next morning, Patton was gone and he was alone in bed. He blinked, looking around for the human, wondering if last night had been a dream. But then the door opened and in came Patton, holding a plate filled with some sort of food on it. Virgil could see the steam coming off of it. Indicating how hot it was. **  
**

 “Morning kiddo!” Patton greeted when he saw Virgil was awake. “Sorry for leaving you, but I figured I’d make us breakfast for when you woke up.” He sat down on the bed and set the plate between them.

 “We’ve got some eggs, bacon, and of course you can’t forget the hashbrowns!” Patton said, pointing to each food item as he said it’s name. Virgil nodded along to what Patton was saying and came closer to the plate. He grabbed a piece of the egg and took a bite. The borrower hummed in contentment.

 “You like it?” Patton asked and Virgil nodded, taking another bite. Patton giggled. “That’s good.” Patton let Virgil eat his fill, only speaking up again when Virgil was done.

 “So, kiddo…” Patton bit his lip and suddenly Virgil was nervous. Patton noticed and turned to comforting him. “No, hey, it’s nothing bad. I promise. It’s just, I have to work today. So I won’t be here until later tonight.”

 Virgil bit his lip. “Do you…have to go?” He asked. He didn’t feel like being left alone. Patton smiled sadly.

 “Unfortunately. But hey,” Patton held out a hand and after waiting for Virgil’s nod, scooped the borrower up. “You won’t be alone. Logan has today off, so you’ll be spending it with him.”

 Virgil blinked, shaky a little. Patton frowned. “Is that alright? If not, I could always-”

 “No, no, it’s okay!” Virgil interrupted, eyes widening when he realized what he just did. But Patton wasn’t angry, just concerned.

 “Are you sure, Virgil?” Virgil nodded only after a moment of hesitation.

 “Yeah, it’s fine.” Patton nodded, before smiling and starting to head out of the room and down the hall. “Where are we going?”

 “Well, I’ve actually got to leave soon. So I’m going to go ahead and drop you off with Logan, okay?” Virgil took in a shaky breath, but nodded. He was nervous to be alone with Logan, to say the least. But he trusted Patton.

 Besides, Logan hadn’t really done anything bad to him. Other than maybe grab him before. He hoped he wouldn’t do that again.

 “Knock knock.” Patton said instead of doing as he peeked into Logan’s room. Logan was at his desk, working on something on his laptop. Logan hummed in response, but his eyes never left the screen.

 “I’ve brought Virgil.” That gained Logan’s attention and he turned around in his chair to properly greet them. He nodded towards the borrower.

 “Good morning Virgil. How are you feeling today?” Virgil shifted nervously.

 “Okay.”

 “That’s good.” Patton walked over to the desk and let Virgil step off his hand.

 “Alright you two, have fun. I really gotta head to work now, but I’ll be back before dinner!” Patton zipped out of the room. “Bye!”

 And with that, Virgil was alone with Logan.


	38. Can't

 Virgil looked at Logan nervously as the human turned back to the screen. The borrower fidgeted with his sleeves, wondering what was going to happen. He trusted Patton, a realization that surprised him, but felt right. But he was still on the fence about the other two humans.

 Patton trusted them though, so they couldn’t be  _bad_.

 Right?

 Logan noticed the nervous energy coming off of Virgil like waves. He bit his lip, wondering what to do.

 Honestly, he would love nothing more than to ask question after question of Virgil’s existence, but knew that wouldn’t go over well.

 No, he would have to think of something else.

 “Virgil, would you like something to read? While I continue to work?” Virgil may be too small for an actual book, but he should be perfectly fine if Logan pulled something up on his phone. Virgil blinked, tilting his head.

 “Um…sure?” Logan nodded and took out his phone, going to his eBooks. He scrolled through, trying to think of one Virgil would like, before settling on Harry Potter. He set his phone down in front of Virgil.

 “There you are. Just swipe right on the screen when you want the next page.” Virgil nodded and looked at the smaller screen. Biting his lip, his eyes scanned the words, making sense of none of them.

 But he was too nervous to tell Logan that, so he continued to pretend.

 Logan glanced at Virgil after a few moments, frowning when he saw a sense of struggle and confusion on the child’s face. Virgil’s eyes darted up to him for a moment, before realizing Logan was watching him and quickly returning his gaze to the phone with an almost inaudible yelp.

 Logan’s eyebrow furrowed. “Virgil? Can you…not read?” Virgil tensed. Was he  _supposed_  to know how to read? Was Logan going to be mad at him if he told the truth? That…he wasn’t even sure what reading meant?

 Logan saw the internal panic and softened his gaze. “Virgil, it’s alright for you to tell me. I won’t be mad or anything.” Virgil swallowed the lump in his throat, fidgeting with his hands.

 “I…I can’t.” Virgil revealed. Logan simply nodded before taking the phone back and going to Netflix instead. He quickly made a child account and handed the phone to Virgil.

 “Here. You can choose whatever you want to watch.” Virgil’s eyes widened, but he nodded and turned back to the phone.

 “…Thank you.” He said after a moment, eyes glancing up at Logan through his bangs. Logan smiled softly.

 “You’re welcome.” When Virgil’s attention was focused back on the phone, however, Logan frowned.

 Virgil, a  _twelve year old_  boy, couldn’t read.

 Couldn’t write.

 Probably couldn’t even do basic math.

 Logan was a firm believer in everyone having an equal chance to grow and learn. And the thought that Virgil  _hadn’t_  had that chance, well…

 He felt his heart (metaphorically) break.


	39. Lunch

 “I think it’s about time for lunch, what do you think?” Logan asked after looking at the clock and realizing the two had been there for about four hours now. He really could get lost in his work at times.

 Virgil looked up with surprise at suddenly being addressed. He bunched his shoulders a bit and shrugged. “…Okay?” Virgil found that he could eat, but he wasn’t hungry. His eyes widened slightly in surprise at that thought. He had never been…not hungry before.

 It was weird.

 Logan nodded, closing his laptop and standing up. He stretched slightly, before looking down at Virgil.

 His first instinct was to just pick him up, but he stopped himself before his hand even moved. That would not go over well, it already hadn’t. As evident by the day before. No, grabbing wouldn’t do.

 He thought back to how Patton had handled it and placed his palm in front of Virgil, palm up.

 “Er, hop on?” Logan said, a bit awkwardly. Virgil swallowed nervously. The last time he had been in Logan’s hand…well, he had been confined in a fist. Something he was not too keen on happening again. But, Logan hadn’t done anything so far…and the way he held out his hand reminded him of Patton.

 So, cautiously, Virgil climbed onto Logan’s hand.

 Logan, for his part, tried very hard to keep his hand from twitching as Virgil got on. Is was a weird sensation, that was for sure.

 When Virgil settled he started out of the room and down the stairs toward the kitchen. He kept his other hand under the hand holding Virgil the entire time, just in case. Once they made it to the kitchen, he let Virgil climb off his hand and onto the counter.

 Logan opened the pantry, taking out some bread and peanut butter, before going over to the fridge and taking out some Crofters. He quickly made a sandwich, cutting off the corner piece and handing it to Virgil.

 Virgil flinched back slightly at the incoming hand, but took the offered food. Once again, he was reminded of Patton and the night before.

 Virgil looked at the piece of food he had been given, turning it over in his hands. Even though he had seen Logan make it, he still wasn’t sure what it was. The only thing he recognized was the bread.

 Logan noticed Virgil’s confusion and spoke after he swallowed his bite. “It’s a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It’s quite good and an easy meal to help us pass until dinner.” Logan took another bite as Virgil looked back down at what he know knew was a sandwich. Hesitantly, he took a bite, his eyes widening in pleasure.

 “Based off your reaction, I’m assuming you like it?” Logan said, chuckling a little. Virgil nodded a bit nervously, before taking another bite.

 Logan hummed. “Honestly, I’m not much of a jelly person, but there is just something  _special_  about Crofters.” Logan mused, taking another bite.

 Virgil wasn’t quite sure what that meant, but didn’t say anything as his mouth was full.

 They both ate in silence for the rest of the time and Logan couldn’t help but think of what great company Virgil was. Living with Patton and Roman, he was used to constant chatter and an overabundance of energy. But Virgil appeared to be the exact opposite of that.

 Yes, great company indeed.

 “Is there anything you would like to do? Before I head back to work?” Logan asked after both portions of their food was gone. Virgil blinked before biting his lip.

 “Um…no?” Honestly, what else was there even for him  _to_  do. Besides, he didn’t want to keep Logan from his work. Logan hummed.

 “Are you sure?” He asked again. Virgil just nodded.

 “Alright, then climb on.” Logan offered his hand again and Virgil did as told. As they made their way back to Logan’s room, Virgil actually spoke up, surprising Logan.

 “Um…Where did Patton go?” He asked, very hesitant. He was wringing his hands together and not looking up at Logan. Logan blinked, but smiled softly. He set Virgil back on the desk and sat down before answering.

 “Didn’t he tell you?” Logan asked. Virgil did some mixture of nodding and shrugging.

 “He told me he had to go to work…but if your working here, then why couldn’t Patton?” Logan blinked.

 “Oh, well…Both of us have different jobs. Patton works as a nurse at the local vet, so he has to go into work. I technically work as an assistant at a bookstore, which I also have to go into work for, but I’m actually doing another kind of work right now. School work to be exact.” Logan explained as best as he could.

 “Oh.” Virgil thought he understood what Logan was saying. Somewhat, anyway.

 “What about…Roman? Is he working too?” Logan smiled and nodded.

 “Yes, he is rehearsing for the local play. He’s the lead, so he is there quite often.” Virgil hummed, falling silent after that.

 “Do you have anymore questions? I’d be happy to answer them for you, if you do.” Logan offered and Virgil looked up with wide eyes. Deceit hated questions and just him speaking in general. It was sort of surprising, hearing that Logan was  _more_  than okay with answering his.

 “Uh…No, not right now.” He had a ton, honestly, but was still too nervous to ask them all. Logan looked a little disappointed, but nodded before going back to his work. Virgil looked back down at the phone, paused on the video he had been watching before lunch. He bit his lip, before looking up.

 “Thank you, though.” Logan blinked down at him, before smiling.

 “Of course, I am always open for answering questions, so please do not be afraid to ask.” Virgil nodded and smiled back and the two fell into a comfortable silence once again.


	40. Another Meal

 “I’m home!” Patton called out as soon as he was inside. He took off his scarf and jacket, the weather outside still full of snow and freezing. He looked around downstairs, but didn’t see anyone.

 “Logan? Virgil?” He called out again, before hearing some movement from upstairs. As he took off his shoes, he saw Logan coming down the stairs. Virgil sitting in his right hand. Patton couldn’t help the grin on his face as he saw Virgil’s eyes light up at the sight of him.

 “Hey kiddo!” Logan handed Virgil over to Patton with a silent chuckle and smile. “How are you feeling?” Patton asked, referring to Virgil’s leg.

 “Okay…It doesn’t hurt so much today.” Virgil spoke and Patton smiled.

 “That’s good to hear. Oh! And how was your day with Logan?” Patton asked, glancing up at Logan before his eyes went back to Virgil.

 “It was…good.” Virgil said, fidgeting a little but there was a smile on his face. Patton’s eyes lit up and he looked up at Logan again to see him smile.

 “I’m so happy to hear that kiddo.” Patton glanced at the clock. “I should probably go make dinner now. Why don’t you and Logan go watch something on TV until it’s done?” Virgil bit his lip, not wanting to be away from Patton so soon, but nodded. He went back onto Logan’s hand before being set down on the arm of the couch.

 Logan turned on the TV and flipped through the channels, wondering what would be best for Virgil to watch. He turned it to Disney Channel, which just so happened to be playing Lilo and Stitch. Logan left it on, figuring it was as good of a movie for Virgil to watch as any.

 Virgil became so enraptured by the show, that he hadn’t realized how much time had passed. Before he knew it, Patton was setting the table and bringing out hot food. “Dinners ready!” He called out. He came over and offered a hand to Virgil, who took it with almost no hesitation.

 He was placed on the table near a smaller plate with a much smaller portion on it than the two plates in front of Logan and Patton. Virgil looked at the food, tilting his head in confusion. So many different foods he had never seen before in the last two days. He wondered what this one was.

 “It’s tater tot casserole.” Patton explained after seeing Virgil’s confusion. “I made yours without sauce though, just so you can eat it easier.” He had realized halfway through making dinner that Virgil couldn’t exactly use silverware and had adapted accordingly.

 Virgil hummed and took a piece that was a golden brown. He took a bite, eyes going wide. “It’s really good!” Patton grinned.

 “That’s great Virgil! I’m glad you like it.” Virgil took another bite, looking around the room. He looked from Patton to Logan and then at the empty third seat. Virgil swallowed his bite with a frown.

 “Where’s Roman?” He asked. Patton opened his mouth to answer, when the front door swung open.

 “I’m home! And something smells delicious!” Roman’s voice called out, causing Virgil to jump a bit. Patton giggled at the compliment and soon Roman was soon in view. He sat down, eyes falling on Virgil.

 “Afternoon Virgil.” Roman greeted. Virgil simply gave him a small nervous wave.

 “Roman! How was rehearsal?” Patton asked.

 “It was amazing! Oh, the funniest thing happened, so-” Roman went on to tell his story, Virgil listening as he continued to eat. He didn’t understand much of what Roman was talking about, but he did laugh when Patton laugh. Though, that might be more because Patton’s laugh was simply infectious.

 Virgil sat away from his food when he realized he was full, looking to see he had eaten only maybe half of what Patton had given him. He was still in awe, to be honest, at the amount of food he was given.

 Once everyone was done, Logan stood up and started collecting the plates. Going into the kitchen to quickly load them into the dishwasher. Meanwhile, Roman looked from Virgil to Patton.

 “So, what’s on the agenda for tonight Padre?” Patton hummed.

 “Well, I need to change Virgil’s bandages and then maybe…Virgil? Would you like to join us for a movie?” Virgil thought back to the other show he had watched. If it was anything like that, he would love to see more. So, he nodded.

 Roman grinned. “Great! I’ll go get the movie ready and pop the popcorn!” Roman got up to go and do just that while Patton once again offered his hand to Virgil. Virgil climbed on.

 “Come on kiddo, let’s hurry so we aren’t keeping them waiting.” Virgil nodded and Patton headed upstairs towards his room.


	41. Missed You

 “So, you really did have a good time with Logan?” Patton asked as he changed the bandages on Virgil’s leg. Virgil only showed a hint of nervousness as he worked, but Patton was incredibly gentle. The borrower nodded. **  
**

 “Yeah, he was…nice.” Virgil answered with a small smile. Patton grinned as he got out the new bandages.

 “Well, I’m glad the two of you got along.” And he was glad to hear Logan didn’t do anything to jeopardize that. They sat in silence for a few moments as Patton finished wrapping up Virgil’s leg. Virgil spoke just as he snipped off the excess gauze.

 “I…I missed you.” The borrowers voice was would have been inaudible if Patton hadn’t been so close. Patton’s eyes widened in surprise before he was grinning a bright smile.

 “Aww, kiddo.” He offered his hand and brought Virgil up to his chest in a hug as soon as he got on. “I missed you too. I hated that I had to leave, but work needed me.” If it was up to him, he would take the whole week off to spend taking care of Virgil, but unfortunately, that was just impossible for him at the moment.

 “Will you be here tomorrow?” Virgil asked and Patton sighed.

 “Sorry kiddo, work needs me again. But-!” He said as he saw the disappointment on Virgil’s face and, well, didn’t that just warm his heart up. The fact that Virgil actually  _wanted_  to be with him. “After tomorrow, I’m all yours for the rest of the week!” Virgil nodded a small smile appearing on his lips.

 “So, am I gonna be with Logan again tomorrow?” He asked. Patton thought for a moment.

 “Uh, actually Logan has to go into work tomorrow too, so you’ll be with Roman!” Patton paused, looking at Virgil with concern. “Is…that okay?”

 Virgil bit his lip. He didn’t know Roman as well as Patton or Logan, but then again he could have said the same thing about Logan before today. He was just a bit nervous, because Roman just seemed like…a lot.

 But again, if Patton trusted him, he couldn’t be bad.

 “It’s okay.” Virgil said, giving Patton a small smile. Patton returned it before heading downstairs with him still in his hands.

 “There you two are!” Roman exclaimed as he saw the both of them. Virgil flinched back a little, but Patton was quick to reassure him with a gentle back rub. Virgil relaxed under his touch. “Come on, the movie is all set up!”

 Patton sat down and looked around for a place Virgil could sit. “Uh, Virgil? Was there anywhere you would prefer to sit?” Virgil blinked, before shrugging.

 “Um, right here is fine. Unless…you uh, don’t want to hold me anymore…” Virgil said, fidgeting. Patton’s eyes widened.

 “Oh no! You’re perfectly fine right where you are. I just wanted you to be comfortable.” Virgil smiled and nodded and shifted until his back was leaning against Patton’s fingers. Patton had to stop himself from squealing it was so cute.

 The others joined them on the couch and they watched the movie. Virgil was enthralled by it, but halfway through he felt sleepy and yawned into his hand. He made it through a bit more of the movie before he couldn’t keep his eyes open anymore.

 Patton found him asleep after the movie ended and decided to turn in for the night as well. He went upstairs, the sound of Roman and Logan cleaning up fading.

 Just like the night before, Patton held Virgil close to his chest as he followed him into dreamland.


	42. Roman's Turn

 The next morning played out essentially the same in the beginning, except, instead of taking Virgil to Logan’s room, he took him to Roman’s. **  
**

 Roman was still passed out on the bed and Patton thought about waking him up, before deciding against it. He set Virgil down on the nightstand.

 “Alright kiddo, Roman should be up soon and I’ll be back for dinner, just like yesterday.” Virgil nodded and Patton headed out the door. “Bye!”

 Virgil waved to Patton as he left, before dropping his hand and looking at Roman. The human was sprawled out on the bed, covers half on him, leg hanging off and his face pressed hard onto the pillow. Virgil would have laughed at the sight, if he wasn’t so nervous.

 At the beginning, he thought he would have to worry about Logan the most. Not only did he end up trapped in his fist (for however short it was, it was still terrifying at the time), but he came off as the most cold and calculating. The most intimidating.

 But getting to know Logan better made him realize that Logan really wasn’t all that bad. And with Virgil knowing Roman the least, but knowing how  _much_  he was. Well…

 Roman shifted, groaning slightly as he stretched his body. Virgil took a step back, biting his lip as he fidgeted with his sleeves.

 Roman sat up with a yawn, eyes scanning the room before settling on the nightstand. He stared at Virgil for a moment, confused, before his eyes widened. “Oh! Good morning, winter night.” There was that nickname again.

 “Uh, m-morning.” He replied, voice shaking a bit.

 Roman frowned for a moment before his smile returned. He swung his legs over the bed as he sat up, now looming over Virgil. Which Virgil took notice of and quickly took several steps back. Roman pretended like he didn’t notice.

 “By the time, I’m guessing you’ve had breakfast already?” Roman asked and Virgil nodded. The human hummed.

 “Well, would you still care to join me to the kitchen as I get something to eat?” Virgil hesitated, shoulders tense, before he nodded. Roman beamed.

 “Great! Now, um…” Roman carefully set his hand down in front of Virgil. The way Patton had done before. Once again, Virgil hesitated, but eventually stepped on the offered hand. As soon as Virgil was settled, Roman stood up.

 “Now, onwards the the kitchen!” Roman exclaimed, before doing just that. Virgil winced a little at the volume, but settled in as best as he could.

 He hoped today would go well.


	43. Movies

 Virgil watched from the counter as Roman practically scarfed down a bowl of cereal. He was sitting criss cross, fidgeting with his sleeves as he waited for Roman to be done. He didn’t know what else to do with himself, he had already eaten after all.

 Thankfully, Roman was done rather quickly and placed the bowl in the sink. He turned to Virgil, bending down to be more eye level with the kid.

 “So, anything you would like to do today Virgil?” The borrower shifted nervously, looking down. Roman frowned again and sighed. He knew Virgil was still nervous around him, it was honestly obvious, but Roman was determined to fix that.

 If Logan could manage to gain Virgil’s trust, then so could he.

 He thought for a moment. Before snapping his fingers. The sound caused Virgil to jump and Roman looked sheepish. “Er, sorry. But how would you feel about watching a movie with me?” Virgil blinked.

 “Like…from last night?” Roman grinned and nodded. Virgil nodded slowly.

 “That sounds nice.” He would like the chance to see more of those movies.

 “Great!” Roman laid his hand out and Virgil stepped on, still with some hesitation, but maybe not as much as before. Roman brought him to the living room and set him on the arm of the sofa before going to the TV to look through his Disney collection.

 “So, did you have a particular movie in mind to watch?” Roman asked, looking back at Virgil. Virgil simply stared at him.

 “Um…no?” Roman hummed before taking out two movies and holding them up for Virgil to see.

 “Well what about Aladdin, or The Little Mermaid? I also have 101 Dalmations and, well, every other Disney movie there has ever been.” Roman looked proud at that fact, but all Virgil could do was stare helplessly at the human.

 “I…” He took a breath. “I don’t…know what any of those are.” Roman blinked, confused.

 “What? Haven’t you ever seen a Disney movie before?” Roman asked, eyebrows furrowed. Virgil cautiously started to shake his head before stopping himself.

 “Not-Not unless the movies from yesterday were Disney.” Roman slowly put the movies down as he started to realize something.

 “Was yesterday…the first time you’ve ever seen a movie?” Virgil tensed, wondering why it was so bad that he hadn’t. He still managed to nod though, despite himself.

 Roman took a moment to look at his collection of movies (not _just_  Disney, as most believed) thinking about what it would have been like to not have seen  _any_ of them. To not know the words to any Disney songs, or learn to love the characters in each film. Go on their journey with them.

 And then, it occured to Roman that Virgil didn’t even know what he was missing.

 Sure, he had gotten a taste of it the day before. But that wasn’t enough to scratch even the  _surface_ of film. Of  _Disney_.

 Roman briefly wondered how many other things Virgil hadn’t gotten to experience. But he pushed those thoughts away for a later time as he looked back at Virgil. Who seemed nervous at his silence.

 Roman bit his lip. Before pulling a very specific movie off of the shelf and putting it in. He returned to the couch and sat down, giving Virgil a soft smile to help calm his fears. “I think you’re going to like this one.”

 Roman pressed a button and the opening to A Nightmare Before Christmas began to play.


	44. Popcorn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I know I'm really bad about replying to comments but I just want you all to know that I apprecaite every single one! Thank you guys so much! Love all of you and I hope you enjoy this chapter of Finding Home!

 Roman found he was paying more attention to Virgil then the movie. **  
**

 It was just…Virgil was  _so_  cute. He reacted to the movie like almost nothing he had ever seen before. With a childlike wonder, but with a hint of something else in the mix. His eyes would widen and small gasps would escape him. His eyes twinkled at the songs and Roman could tell he was on the edge of his seat for the climax of the movie. And Virgil’s small size just made it all that much more fascinating.

 As the movie came to an end and the credits rolled, Roman turned to Virgil fully. “So? How’d you like it?” He asked, though he already knew the answer. And sure enough, Virgil grinned up at him.

 “That was amazing!” Virgil exclaimed, throwing his hands up slightly. Roman couldn’t help but grin back at the kid. He was pretty sure that was the first time he had heard Virgil speak without a stutter or pause.

 “Well, I’m glad you liked it.” Roman said with a chuckle. He got up to take the movie out. “Are you up for another one?” He turned his head to see Virgil nodding. Roman smiled and thought for a moment before putting in another movie. He then stood up, but before he sat back down he checked the time.

 It wasn’t quite lunchtime, but this next movie would take them into it. He hummed in thought before snapping his fingers. “I’ll be right back Virgil!” Virgil frowned and blinked in confusion as Roman headed toward the kitchen.

 Virgil turned back towards the TV, a different picture than what the other movie had was on it, but nothing was moving. He recognized that words were on it, but of course he couldn’t read what it said.

 Virgil had to admit to himself that he was having fun. The movie had been great and he was so excited to see more. Whatever Roman was up to had him a bit nervous, but he found himself trusting the human.

 Virgil’s eyes casted downwards, a small smile on his face. Never in a million years would he have ever thought that a human-let alone  _three_ -would be so kind to him. Not after what happened with-

 Virgil’s smile turned into a frown and he shut his eyes tight. No, no he wasn’t going to think of  _him_  anymore. He was gone, Virgil was safe. Virgil was safe…

 “Hey, are you okay?” A sudden voice asked and Virgil jumped with a yelp in surprise. His eyes opened to reveal Roman, looking at him with a mixture of concern and guilt. “Sorry, didn’t mean to sneak up on ya.” He said sheepishly.

 Virgil took a deep breath, calming his heart. “I’m alright.” He said, not sure if that was the truth or not. But he didn’t want to worry Roman.

 It was then that he noticed the thing in Roman’s hands. Virgil recognized it as a bowl, but he couldn’t place what was inside of it. “What’s that?” He asked, pointing to it.

 Roman blinked, looking down as if forgetting he was even carry something, before a look of realization took over. He smiled. “Oh! Right, this is popcorn!” Roman took back his seat, allowing Virgil to see the inside better. The bowl was filled with yellowy things that looked fluffy. Almost like clouds.

 “Popcorn?” He repeated the foreign word. Roman nodded.

 “Yeah! Here, try it. It’s  _the_  movie snack.” Roman held out a piece of the popcorn and Virgil took it in both hands. He looked it over, noting how light it was. He shifted it to one hand, looking down at his free one to see that some of the yellow stuff had stained it. He made a face, which Roman laughed at.

 “It’s a good thing I brought some napkins with me. Here.” Roman ripped off a corner piece of the napkin and Virgil took it. He set it to the side to use later and finally took a bite. His eyes widened at the unfamiliar burst of flavor.

 “This is so good!” Virgil said after swallowing. He took another bite as Roman chuckled.

 “I knew you would like it. Now, shall we start the second movie?” Virgil nodded and Roman pressed play.

 As the movie progressed, Roman was good at knowing when Virgil wanted another piece of popcorn. Giving it to him throughout the movie. Of course, that only totalled to about five pieces, since it took him so long to eat even one.

 Virgil found himself enjoying this movie as well, though he found it wasn’t  _as_ good as the last one he had seen. But still really good.

 Roman wasted no time in putting on the third movie, setting the now empty bowl to the side. They watched the movie, like before, but Virgil’s gaze was suddenly on Roman as the human began to move. But not to get up, no, the human was moving in a way so he was laying down on the couch.

 It looked pretty comfortable and Virgil tried to mimic the position, but it didn’t seem to work on the flat surface he was on. He was forced to crane his neck to see the movie now and it hurt. Roman took notice of this and chuckled.

 “Yeah, not sure that’s gonna work.” Roman said. Virgil huffed, he could have told him that. Roman sat up slightly, looking down at him.

 “But, if you want to be more comfortable I…might have an idea?” Roman’s face turned a bit nervous as he settled his open palm in front of Virgil. Virgil blinked, but Roman was happy to note he didn’t flinch back.

 Virgil did hesitate, but climbed onto Roman’s hand fairly quick. Roman grinned and moved again so he was lying back down. He set Virgil on his chest, hands moving away so he wasn’t crowding him, but staying close enough to catch him in case he slipped off. Thankfully, it didn’t seem like the kid was in any danger of that.

 Virgil blinked, taking in his new position. Some part of him told him he should be nervous, being on a human like this. But the position only reminded him of when Patton did it the nights before. Virgil smiled and settled down. And he was glad to note that he could see the TV perfectly fine, all while still being comfortable.

 “This is…nice. Thank you Roman.” Virgil spoke, causing Roman to grin.

 “Of course, winter night.” Roman spoke softly.

 And then both turned their attentions back to the movie.


	45. Closer

 When Patton came home, he was met with the cutest sight.

 Roman and Virgil asleep on the couch, with Virgil on Roman’s chest. They both looked so peaceful and Patton had to stop himself from squealing. He took out his phone and snapped a picture, gushing at it for a few moments before putting it away.

 He thought about waking them up, but figured it wouldn’t hurt to let them sleep for a few more minutes as he started on dinner.

 It was about twenty minutes later that Patton heard the front door open and he left the kitchen to greet Logan with a smile and a quiet shush. Logan raised an eyebrow in confusion towards him and Patton led him to the living room and pointed at Roman and Virgil.

 “They’ve been asleep since I got home and I don’t want to wake them yet.” Patton whispered. Logan hummed and nodded before heading up the stairs. But Patton had managed to see the small smile on his face. Patton giggled, before returning back to the kitchen.

 When dinner was done, it was time to wake the two up.

 Patton placed a hand on Roman’s shoulder, gently shaking it. “Roman? Come on, wake up now. Dinner is ready.” Roman groaned, shifting slightly. Patton then reached out and even more gently rubbed the top of Virgil’s head. “You too kiddo, time to wake up.” He backed away a bit, watching as the two slowly but surely woke up.

 Virgil blinked awake, quickly taking in his surroundings and realizing he had indeed fallen asleep on Roman’s chest. He must have been really tired.

 Roman’s hand lifted off of him as he went to rub at his eyes and Virgil sat up, looking over to see Patton standing there. Virgil couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face.

 Patton returned the grin and offered Virgil his hand, which Virgil happily took. As Patton let Virgil off on the table, Roman himself stood up and stretched.

 “What time is it?” Roman asked, voice still groggy from sleep. He went over and took a seat at the table as Patton came out with everyones plates.

 “It’s around 6.” Patton answered, causing Roman’s eyes to widen.

 “Huh. Guess we had a bit of a long nap.” Roman said, looking down at Virgil. “We’ll have to continue our movie marathon another day.” Virgil smiled and nodded, excited to see more movies. And maybe Patton and even Logan could join them next time.

 Speaking of Logan, the human came down the stairs and took his seat at the table. Virgil blinked, not having realized Logan was home.

 “Alright everyone! Eat up!” With those words Roman immediately started chowing down. Logan was more precise with his food intake and Patton was just now finishing cutting up Virgil’s portion. He placed the small saucer down for Virgil to eat and Virgil did.

 After dinner, both Roman and Logan went up to their rooms for the night. Virgil was taken into the kitchen with Patton as he washed the dishes.

 “So, did you have fun with Roman today?” Patton asked. Virgil nodded, kicking his legs as they dangled over the counter.

 “Yeah, we watched some movies and had, uh…” Virgil thought for a moment, trying to remember the right word. “…Popcorn?” Patton nodded to tell Virgil he was right and Virgil smiled.

 “Oh kiddo, you don’t know how happy I am that your getting along with everyone.” Virgil’s cheeks dusted red and he shrugged, looking away.

 “Well, I mean, you guys are just so nice…” They were nothing like  _him_  or any other human Virgil had heard about. “I feel…I feel…” Virgil honestly wasn’t sure  _how_  he felt, but it was good. Definitely good.

 Thankfully, he seemed to portray that feeling because Patton smiled down at him. “We’re just trying to make you feel at home. Er, at least, for the week.” Patton said, shifting nervously. He seemed to forget that Virgil might not be staying with them after this week. The thought broke his heart, but if Virgil had a family to go back to Patton didn’t want to keep them apart.

 Virgil frowned slightly, seeming to remember that as well. What was he gonna do when the week came to an end?

 Patton finished up the dishes and took Virgil up to his room. After replacing the banadages and seeing that Virgil was healing well, he set Virgil on the bed and popped into the closet real quick to change. When he returned he was wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt.

 “Are you even tired after the nap you took today?” Patton asked Virgil, taking a seat on the opposite end of the bed from him.

 Virgil shrugged, but gained his answer when he yawned. Patton smiled and set up a pillow for Virgil to sleep on. When they were both settled, Patton shut off the light.

 “Goodnight kiddo.”

 “…Night Pat.”


	46. Games

 “It’s just me and you today kiddo!” Patton exclaimed as they both ate the pancakes that Patton had made. Virgil smiled, happy to spend the day with the human he was the most comfortable around. **  
**

 “We can do whatever you want today! Watch movies, play a game, um…” Patton blinked, before shrugging. “Whatever you want!”

 Virgil shifted nervously. “Well, um, I’ve…never played a game before. We could…do that?” Virgil asked. A flash of sadness appeared on Patton’s face before it was replaced by a large grin.

 “That sounds like a great idea! Come on, let’s go see what we have.” As Virgil climbed onto his offered hand, Patton couldn’t help but repeat what Virgil said over in his mind. He had never played a game before?

 Patton did not like the implication that that statement came with.

 The two looked through the board games Patton had and eventually decided on checkers. Patton thought it would be the simplest to explain and easier for Virgil to handle.

 He sent the game up and explained the rules. Virgil seemed to get the jist of it fairly quickly and they jumped right into playing. Virgil was actually pretty good at it and Patton just knew he had to let Logan know. Logan would love to play this with Virgil.

 And it was fun to watch Virgil be on the board and pick up his pieces to move them. Patton had offered to help, but Virgil was set on doing it on his own. He was handling them pretty well though.

 As they played, Patton decided to make conversation.

 “So, kiddo, how have you been feeling?” Patton asked as he moved his piece. Virgil shrugged.

 “Good, I think. My leg barely hurts anymore.” He moved said leg around a bit, only feeling a very dull ache.

 “Well that’s good! We could probably take off the bandages later tonight if you want.” Patton spoke. Virgil nodded and they got through a few more turns before Patton bit his lip.

 He really wanted to talk about what happened in Virgil’s past, but he wasn’t sure how to bring it up. He didn’t want to upset the poor kiddo, but knowing more about Virgil would help  _them_  to help  _him_  so much better.

 He decided to try and start out slow.

 “Virgil…” He started, catching Virgil’s attention. “You-you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but…it’s just, I  _have_  been wondering…why were you passed out in the snow when I found you?” Patton asked carefully, keeping his voice soft and low.

 Despite that, Virgil tensed at the question. It was a few moments before Virgil answered, head down. “I was trying to get away.” He said, voice so low Patton had to strain to hear it. Patton blinked and frowned.

 “Kiddo-”

 “I don’t…” Virgil trailed off and Patton could see the tears welling up in his eyes and his body start to shake.

 “Oh Virgil, I’m sorry. You don’t have to say anything else okay?” Virgil nodded and after a few seconds of Virgil calming down, they started to play again.

 But now, Patton was less focused on the game and more so on Virgil’s words and reaction.

 He’d have to talk with the others once they got home.


	47. Keeping Quiet

 It wasn’t that Virgil didn’t want to tell Patton about what had happened.

 It was just…hard.

 And he was scared of the reactions he would receive.

 What if, when he told them about Deceit, they would take him back? Or worse, start acting like Deceit did?

 Now, Virgil knew deep down that that wouldn’t be the case. But…he still couldn’t help but worry about those possibilities. Because Virgil was really starting to like and  _trust_  these humans, despite his underlying fear of their sizes. And if they suddenly turned on him, just like Deceit had done?

 It would crush him.

 But, and Virgil thought this was so weird, he was scared to  _not_  tell them too. And that fear mostly came from what would happen when the week was over.

 Virgil had nowhere else to go. Before Patton had found him, he was simply running. Running as far as he could go, away from Deceit. He had no plan. No one to run  _to_.

 But how could he say that, without explaining what happened?

 Did he even  _want_  to stay with them?

 …

 Virgil groaned and placed his head in his hands. Why was his brain like this? Was everyone like this or was it just him? Virgil was leaning more towards the latter.

 “Kiddo, you doing okay?” Virgil snapped his head up at the sound of Patton’s voice. Patton looked at him with concern, looking away from the dinner he was currently making.

 Now would be the perfect chance to tell him. He just had to open his mouth and talk. “Yeah, I’m fine.” He said, putting on a small smile. He watched as Patton frowned for a moment, before returning the smile and turning his attention back on dinner.

 Virgil sighed. So much for that.


	48. It's Time

 As soon as the others got home, Patton turned to Virgil. “Hey kiddo, I have to go talk to Roman and Logan real quick, but I’ll be right back. Okay?” Virgil blinked, but nodded. As Virgil turned back to the movie, Patton headed towards where the others were a pulled them upstairs so they could talk without Virgil hearing them.

 “Uh, what’s this about Pat?” Roman asked as Patton shut the door to his room.

 “Yes, what is so important that you won’t even let me put my bag away first.” Logan said, holding up his bag. Patton sighed before turning to the two of them.

 “I think…Tonight, right now, we need to ask Virgil if he wants to stay with us.” Patton explained, looking back and forth between his two friends. Roman blinked, raising an eyebrow.

 “I thought you wanted to wait until the end of the week?” Roman asked, causing Patton to sigh again.

 “I did, but his leg is basically healed now and…” He trailed off, wondering how he was going to say this. “I don’t think he has anyone to go back too…and he might be starting thinking that we’re just going to abandon him!”

 “…To be fair,  _you_  were the one to ask him to stay for the week and not for, well, ever.” Roman said and Patton looked down, knowing Roman was right.

 “Despite that, I still think Patton made a good call on doing that.” Patton and Roman looked at Logan. “We didn’t want to overwhelm him and he still didn’t trust us very much. It was good to wait, to build the trust up more.” Patton gave Logan a small smile.

 “But, I must ask, why do you not think he has anyone?” Logan asked and Patton deflated at the question.

 “I…tried asking him about what happened. He didn’t tell me much, in fact he shut down almost immediately, but…he did say that he was…running away.” At the reveal, Roman’s eyes widened. Logan, however, didn’t look too surprised.

 “I was thinking it was something like that…” He mumbled. At Roman’s and Patton’s questioning gazes, he sighed. “I told you I had a hypothesis, about what happened in Virgil’s past.” Patton nodded as Roman looked confused.

 “Wait, you never told me that.” Logan simply shrugged and Roman let out an offended huff.

 “Anyway,” Logan continued, ignoring Roman’s comment. “The more I learn, the more I am proven correct and that is…troubling.”

 “Why? What do you think happened?” Patton asked, clearly distressed at Logan’s implications. But Logan shook his head.

 “I shouldn’t say. I might still be wrong and it would be better to hear it from Virgil anyway.” Patton frowned, but nodded. Logan was right, of course.

 “So, we’re doing this. We’re asking him to live with us?” Roman asked, looking to Patton. Patton nodded.

 “I want to. Honestly, I can’t imagine him  _not_  staying here, with us. I know it hasn’t been that long, but…I already feel like he’s family. Ya know?” Patton explained, rubbing the back of his neck. “And…I want to give him a good life. A better one.”

 “As do I.” Patton looked up at Logan, eyes wide. Logan smiled. “I found out recently that Virgil doesn’t know how to read.” Patton gasped at that and muttered something close to ‘poor kiddo’. “Nor does he know about a lot of things we would consider common knowledge. I…want to give him the chance to have an education.” Patton grin was blinding at Logan’s words.

 “Oh Lo…” He knew the two had bonded a bit, but he hadn’t known Logan felt so strongly about Virgil and giving him a better life. Patton was so glad.

 “I, too, want to give Virgil a better life.” Patton looked over to Roman now, who was also smiling. “I want him to be able to watch whatever he wants, when he wants. To play games and experience all the wonderful things the world has to offer.” At this point, Patton was close to tears.

 “You guys…” Patton grinned. “I’m so glad you guys feel the same.”

 “Like you said, it may have only been a few days, but I think Virgil has touched all of our hearts. One way or another.” Roman said as he matched Patton’s grin. “As cheesy as that sounds.” Patton laughed at that, wiping the tears that managed to escape when he did so. When he calmed down, he turned towards the door.

 “Then let’s go adopt ourselves a Virgil.”


	49. Thinking

 Virgil watched as Patton went upstairs with Roman and Logan and couldn’t help but wonder-and worry-about what they were going to talk about.

 Virgil stopped paying attention to the movie, getting lost in his own thoughts.

 Were they discussing things about him? Well, probably, or else they would have just talked here in the living room. No, whatever they were talking about, they didn’t want him to overhear.

 Were they talking about making him leave? Letting him stay? Even for just a bit longer? Virgil didn’t know and it was killing him inside.

 He…really didn’t want to leave. Not only did he have nowhere to go, but…this was the best he had felt in a long time. In fact, he hadn’t felt like this since…his parents…

 They were just so nice. So kind. Though it was still a worry of his, that they would suddenly turn on him, it was a more distant one. After all, why wait so long when they all had plenty of opportunities. Deceit certainly hadn’t waited long to reveal his true colors. It had been the very next day, if Virgil recalled correctly.

 The memory, however, was painful and Virgil pushed it away once more.

 That was still an issue as well.

 Telling them about his past.

 Like he said before, he wanted to. He did.

 It was just hard.

 But he was determined to do it. At this point, they deserved to know. Especially if he would…if he would be staying with them.

 Maybe it would even help to convince them, if they needed convincing. Virgil still wasn’t sure where they stood on the whole ‘letting him stay’ thing yet.

 But he was set. As soon as they came down, he was going to tell them.

 Hopefully.


	50. Adoption

 Patton came down the stairs, Logan and Roman not far behind him. He looked at the couch, to see Virgil hadn’t moved from his place on the arm rest. Though it didn’t look like he was paying too much attention to the movie. In fact, it looked like he was lost in thought. **  
**

 He carefully walked up to him. “Kiddo?” Virgil blinked, coming out of his own head and looking up at Patton. Noticing the other humans right behind him. He hadn’t even noticed them come back down. 

 “Are you okay?” Patton asked, concern in his voice. Virgil nodded.

 “Y-Yeah, I’m fine.” Which was mostly true. But Virgil realized this was it. He had promised himself he was going to tell them and now he was. He opened his mouth the speak.

 “That’s good, because we wanted to talk to you about something.” Patton said, cutting Virgil off before a single word came out. Virgil’s mouth closed and went dry with nerves.

 “Huh?” Was all Virgil managed to get out. Patton looked behind him to Logan and Roman before kneeling down on the floor, the other humans following. It reminded Virgil a lot of when this happened several days ago, when he had tried to get away.

 “Kiddo…do you have anyone to go back to? Family? Friends?” Patton asked, voice soft. The same voice he had used when he had asked Virgil about why he had been in the snow.

 Virgil really should have expected this, he had just been thinking about it after all, but it still caught him off guard. He wasn’t sure what to say, so, he simply shook his head.

 “No?” Patton asked, wanting confirmation. Virgil nodded.

 “I don’t…I don’t have anyone…” Virgil stuttered out. Patton couldn’t say he was surprised, but knowing, of course, made him sad.

 “W-Well kiddo, if that’s the case, we’ve been talking and we were wondering if…if…” Patton took in a deep breath. “Virgil, we were wondering if you wanted to stay with us.” Virgil’s eyes widened.

 “R-Really?” Virgil couldn’t help but ask. Patton smiled.

 “Of course. At this point, none of us could picture you leaving. I mean, of course we will let you go if that’s what you want, but…well, we’ll all be really sad to see you go.”

 “You have managed your way into all of our hearts, winter night. Even Mr. ‘I don’t have feelings’ over here can’t deny that.” Roman spoke up, nudging Logan in the side. Logan glared at Roman, but even Virgil could tell there was no malice behind it.

 “As much as I loath to admit it, Roman is indeed correct.” Logan smiled at Virgil. Virgil smiled back and then turned back to Patton when he spoke again.

 “You’ve become family to us, kiddo. And we’d love to have you stay.” At those particular words, Virgil’s eyes grew wide and tears fell down his cheeks. He let out a small sob as he covered his face.

 “Winter night…?”

 “Are you alright?”

 “Oh Virgil, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry! If you don’t want to stay, you don’t have to!” Roman, Logan and Patton all said respectively. Virgil shook his head, slowly taking his hands away to reveal the smile on his face.

 “I’m not sad…I’m…I’m happy.” Their concern melted away and Patton offered Virgil a hand, which he took. Patton held him to his chest.

 “It’s true kiddo, you’re family now.” Virgil snuggled into Patton, doing his best to return the hug.

 “Virgil? Does that mean…?” Roman trailed off, looking at Virgil hopefully. Virgil nodded.

 “I want to stay.” They all shared a look of mostly silent celebration and they all went in for a group hug. “But…”

 At that, everyone pulled back. Patton held Virgil out, who suddenly looked very nervous. “Kiddo?”

 “There’s…something I have to tell you first.” Patton seemed to realize right away what Virgil was talking about.

 “You don’t have to Virgil, it’s okay.” Virgil shook his head.

 “No, it’s important to me that you all know…as my family, you deserve to.” Virgil smiled as he said the word family, before taking a deep breath.

 And then, he told them.


	51. Home

 He didn’t go into detail about Deceit. He couldn’t.

 But everything else was said in enough detail for the others to get the whole picture.

 When he was finished and he looked up at them, he couldn’t help but be surprised to find that they were all  _crying_. Even Logan, who he had pictured to not be much of a crier.

 Patton had covered his mouth with his free hand near the beginning of the story to stop any loud sobs from escaping him. He couldn’t believe…Virgil had gone through  _so much_. It was honestly a miracle that he was still here.

 Virgil really was so, so brave.

 Roman, for once in his life, wished his imagination wasn’t so vivid. While Virgil had left a lot of details out, his brain had no problem filling them in. And it just made it all so much worse.

 Logan’s theory was proven false.

 Because it was so much worse than he had thought.

 The death of parents at a young age, being alone for years and then being found by an abusive and manipulative human, was something Logan could have never guessed.

 “Virgil…” Patton was the first one to break the silence after Virgil had finished. “I-I’m so sorry…” Patton hated that he couldn’t think of anything else to say.

 “It’s not your fault.” Virgil said and the others could tell he was a little choked up as well. “In fact, you’ve shown me more kindness than I’ve seen in my whole life…” Virgil trailed off, face a light red.

 “Because you’re a  _person_. And should be treated as such. The man who held you captive was a cruel one.” Roman said, anger boiling inside him. If he ever saw him, the man would be given a swift punch in the face. That was for sure.

 “…That explains why you reacted to us the way you did in the beginning…” Logan mumbled and Virgil nodded.

 “Yeah…I was scared that you guys would be another… _him_.” Virgil explained, rubbing his arm. “But now I know for sure you guys aren’t  _anything_  like him.” Virgil smiled up at them and the others smiled back.

 It was then that they all came in for a group hug, Virgil smiling with tears in his eyes as he was held close to Patton’s chest.

 After a few moments like that, Patton spoke, a soft whisper only for Virgil to hear. “We love you kiddo…Welcome home.”

 And just like that, the tears fell again. Because Patton was right.

 He  _was_  home.


	52. Deceit's Plan

 Deceit honestly couldn’t believe that the little thing had managed to get into the next town over. Even if it had been gone for over a week at this point, it was still shocking.

 He watched as the tiny body finally gave out, collapsing underneath a bench that was just barley in sight of the camera. Deceit frowned.

 Had it died?

 Someone decided to walk past the bench at that point and Deceit waited for them to move away and carry on, but they paused.

 Deceit raised an eyebrow as the guy kneeled down and picked up his pet.

 So it had been found. Which probably meant it was still alive.

 The guy started speed walking and Deceit changed cameras. He was now facing the front of the man and Deceit couldn’t stop his eyes from widening.

 Oh.

 Well, this was just too perfect.

 Deceit shut the computer off and headed out. He nodded to his buddy as he started to walk home.

 A plan was forming in his mind and a smirk found its way onto his lips.

 All he had to do now…was wait.

 

**End of Act II**


	53. Stay at Home Dad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Act III is here!!!

 It had been a few days since Virgil was deemed a part of their family and decided to stay with them. Said kiddo was currently upstairs, asleep. Logan and Roman were also in bed, which made sense since it was closing in on 2 in the morning.

 Patton, however, was still up.

 In the dining room, with his laptop pulled up, he was concentrated on the things on the screen. He had a notepad and pencil next to him, already scribbled with a ton of notes and numbers. He should be in bed, but he was too worried about all this to be able to sleep. And he  _needed_  to figure this out.

 For Virgil’s sake.

 “Pat?” Patton was startled out of his focus, looking up to find Roman. Not far behind him, stood Logan. Both looked to have just woken up.

 “Um, what are you guys doing up?” Patton asked. Logan came more into the room, raising an eyebrow.

 “We both realized you hadn’t gone to bed yet,” Logan stated bluntly. Patton winced, he hadn’t meant to bother them.

 “I’m sorry.” Roman came up next to him, taking a seat.

 “It’s fine Pat, but what on earth  _are_  you doing up this late at night?” Roman asked. Patton shifted, before sighing and turning the computer towards the two of them. Both Logan and Roman scanned the screen, looking confused.

 “Our bank account?”

 “Patton, why are you looking through our bank account?” Roman and Logan asked close to the same time. Patton drummed his fingers over his notes.

 “I’ve been…trying to figure out a way for me to stay home, while still having money to pay rent. But…if I quit my job we won’t have enough. Logan doesn’t make enough to cover all the expenses.” Patton explained, letting them see his notes. As Logan looked them over more thoroughly, Roman still looked confused.

 “Why would you need to stay home?”

 “For Virgil. I don’t want to leave him home alone all the time. And I know our schedule this last week has had someone at home at all times, but it won’t always be like that…” Patton sighed. “I just want to be there for him, ya know?”

 Roman nodded, looking lost in thought. Logan put down the notes and toward the screen, frowning. “I see what you mean, Patton. It’s only with the combined income of you and I that we are able to afford everything. Though, it might help if Roman were to get a job-” Patton shook his head, cutting Logan off.

 “I want Roman to be able to do plays still though! And if he gets a job then he won’t be able to.” Patton wanted Roman to live his dream, just like he wanted Logan to live his.

 “Actually…” Both Patton and Logan turned to Roman with questioning gazes. “I wasn’t sure when to bring this up, but…the director offered me a paying job at the theatre. One that would allow me to still be in the plays and all that.”

 Logan raised an eyebrow. “How much does it pay?” Roman suddenly looked sheepish.

 “Heh, well…” He looked at the table before grabbing the notepad and pen and writing something on it. He slid it over to the both of them, who wasted no time in looking down at the number. Both of their eyes went wide.

 “Roman…this is almost  _double_  what Patton makes right now.” Patton’s jaw fell open as he stared openly at the amount. “If you took this, Patton could quit and we would still have more than usual,” Logan said, causing Patton to frown.

 “You only have to take it if you want to though! I don’t want you to feel like we are forcing you to.” Roman waved off Patton’s worry.

 “Ah, it’s not a problem padre. In fact…I, ah, already took the job.” He said, sheepish once again.

 “ _…What?!_ ” As Logan went into a rant about having not told them-apparently Roman had been sitting on this all week-Patton couldn’t help but smile.

 Now he could be there for Virgil. No matter what.


	54. School Arc (1)

 Logan wanted to be prepared and he wanted Virgil to settle in first, before doing anything. So, after a month of collecting all the textbooks, notes, and criteria, he was ready.

 He was going to homeschool Virgil.

 He knocked gently on the door frame, watching as Virgil jumped but quickly relaxed. Even after a month, Virgil was still jumpy around them. But Logan wouldn’t be surprised if that never went away. After all, those reactions were part of Virgil’s deep embedded instincts.

 “Hello Virgil, may I come in?” Logan asked. Virgil nodded, pausing the show he had been watching on Patton’s phone. With Virgil’s confirmation, Logan came closer to the desk and then sat down so he was not towering over Virgil so much.

 “I wanted to ask you something.” Logan started off with, wanting to ease into his question. Patton told him that would be the best way to go about this.

 Virgil, still sitting, was now facing Logan with a confused look. “Okay?”

 “Well, remember when I found out you couldn’t read?” Virgil winced at that, but Logan was quick to reassure. “It’s okay…well, I mean, it’s not, but-what I mean to say is, I am not mad at you for not knowing.” Virgil relaxed and Logan smiled. “However, I am upset that you were never given the chance to learn to read or to learn in general.”

 “I mean, it’s fine. It’s not like I know what I’m missing.” Virgil spoke up, rubbing the back of his neck. In his short life, he had never had the need to read. The only time it had ever come up was with Logan and when he had tried to offer him a book to read.

 Logan blinked. “But that’s just it. You have no idea what you are missing out on!” Virgil flinched back at Logan’s shout and Logan took notice. He cleared his throat awkwardly. “My apologies, I am very passionate about learning.”

 “It’s okay.” Virgil forgave Logan. The loud voices just caught him off guard sometimes (and he still had that whole thing about yelling as well, but it was getting better) and he knew the humans were trying their best.

 “Anyway, if you are to be staying with us, I thought it might be beneficial to you to…uh…” Logan pursed his lips. Why was he so nervous about this? He sighed, realizing why. He was nervous for Virgil to say no. He would respect his wishes, obviously, but Logan…well, Logan  _really_  wanted to teach him. Not only would it be good practice for him when he eventually became a teacher but he would also be able to teach Virgil the  _wonders_  of reading, writing, math, science, history, and everything in between.

 He wanted to educate Virgil for Virgil’s sake, not his own.

 “I was wondering if you would allow me to…teach you.” Logan finally said, looking down and Virgil.

 Virgil blinked. “Teach me?” Logan nodded and decided to elaborate.

 “I want to teach you like you are an ordinary child, which you are despite your height,” Logan stated, fixing his glasses. “I want to give you the opportunity you never had before. To learn, as everyone should. Of course…” Logan looked off to the side. “You are welcome to say no, I am merely offering.”

 Virgil’s eyes widened, not really believing what Logan was saying. “You’d really want to teach me everything?” Virgil asked in awe.

 Logan turned back to Virgil and gave the child a determined nod. “Of course.” There was no sign of hesitation in his voice.

 Logan watched as Virgil stood up and came a little closer to Logan. Virgil was fidgeting with the sleeves of his hoodie as he looked up at the human.

 “I…I would really like that.” Virgil said quietly. Logan blinked.

 “Really?” A small smile was growing on his face.

 “Yeah. I want to learn.” Virgil copied Logan from earlier and gave a determined nod. Now Logan was grinning.

 “Spectacular.” Logan chuckled, feeling giddy Virgil said yes. “In that case, we start tomorrow. Is that alright?”

 Virgil smiled. “It’s perfect.”


	55. School Arc (2)

Virgil was nervous, to say the least. He hadn’t felt nervous when he had agreed to this just yesterday, too happy that he was even receiving this chance. That Logan  _actually_  wanted to take the time to teach him. **  
**

When Patton found out Virgil had said yes, he revealed to Virgil a small backpack that he had special ordered just for him. It was the perfect size and inside were pieces of lead for Virgil to write with that Roman had helped collect.

Virgil loved it.

He was wearing the backpack now, standing on Logan’s desk and just waiting for the human to come in. And unfortunately, that gave him plenty of time to worry. What if he did something wrong and Logan didn’t want to teach him anymore? What if he was just too stupid  _to_  teach? What if-

“I know that look. Stop worrying, everything is going to be fine.” Virgil, startled by the sudden voice, looked up to see Roman with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. Virgil sighed.

“It’s hard,” Virgil said, rubbing at his arm.

“I know, but I’m serious. This is _Logan_  we’re talking about. Everything is going to be okay and you’re gonna do great, okay? And if you have to, repeat that until you believe it.” Roman winked at the kid and Virgil couldn’t help but smile.

“Okay,” Virgil said, but Roman hummed thoughtfully.

“Nope, you gotta say it.” Roman was grinning wide and smug now and Virgil glared at him, even with his own smile tugging at his lips.

“ _Fine._ ” Virgil bit his lip before taking a deep breath. “Everything is going to be okay and I’m gonna do great.” As Virgil said it, Roman’s smugness went away, leaving just a regular pride filled grin.

“Yeah, you are. Now have fun kid, I gotta get to rehearsal.” Roman gently ruffled Virgil’s hair before leaving the room.

Virgil huffed, fixing his hair but smiling all the same. He  _did_  feel better now. He’d have to thank Roman later.

Virgil’s eyes went to the door as Logan finally appeared. He was carrying a bag hanging on his right arm, while his hands were full of…a lot. Virgil saw a lot of books, but a few other things he didn’t know too. But he assumed they were all supplies for Logan’s teaching.

“Alright. Are you ready to learn?”


End file.
